Personal Profiles
Mr Miguel Brandão
BSc (Hons), MSc
Postgraduate Research Student
Short Biography:
Miguel joined the Centre for Environmental Strategy in January 2006 as a PhD student.
His research aims to study the role of UK land use in supporting a low-carbon economy, and its potential contribution to reduce global net greenhouse gas emissions.
The emphasis is on the systematic estimation and quantification of the inventories of emissions and sequestration of greenhouse gases associated with different types of land use and along the complete supply chains of land-use products, with focus on food and bioenergy systems, which requires the improvement of existing life cycle assessment methodologies on carbon accounting. Other LCA developments will include impacts of land use on ecosystem services (biotic production potential, ecological soil quality and water use) and biodiversity. Subsequently, a bio-economic, multi-objective optimisation life cycle model for land use will be developed that can be used as a decision-support tool.
Miguel has a BSc in Organic Agriculture from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and an MSc in Development and Resource Economics from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. In 2005, he worked on some DEFRA funded projects as an economics researcher in the Economics, Marketing and Policy Group of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA).
Miguel is supervised by Professor Roland Clift.
Research Interests:
His current research interests include: agroecology, human ecology, land-use change, energy systems, ecological and environmental economics, industrial ecology, resource-use efficiency, whole systems approach, optimisation modelling, multi-criteria decision analysis and, more generally, sustainable development. Indeed, I have found sustainable resource management through efficient resource allocation promoted by appropriate markets, institutions, policies and practices a fascinating area of study.
Teaching:
Life Cycle Assessment
Ecological Economics
Agriculture and Food Security
Globalisation and Poverty
Biofuels and Development
Selected Publication/Conference Presentations:
Brandão M, Milà i Canals L, Clift R (submitted): Soil Organic Carbon changes in the cultivation of energy crops: implications for GHG emissions and soil quality for use in LCA. Biomass & Bioenergy.
Milà i Canals L, Clift R, Basson L, Hansen Y, Brandão M. 2006a. Expert Workshop on Land Use Impacts in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). 12-13 June 2006 Guildford, Surrey (UK). Int J LCA 11(5) 363-368 Available on-line
Milà i Canals L, Basson L, Clift R, Müller-Wenk R, Bauer C, Hansen Y, Brandão M. 2006b. Expert Workshop on Definition of Best Indicators for Biodiversity and Soil Quality for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Proceedings and Conclusions. Guildford, 12-13 June 2006. CES Working Paper 02/06 Available on-line
Brandão M, Clift R, Milà i Canals L (2007) Food or Energy? Towards Sustainable Land Use - A Life Cycle Approach for the Assessment of the Carbon Intensity of Land Use for Food and Bioenergy in the U.K. Abstract Book. Industrial Ecology for a Sustainable Future. The 4th International Conference of the International Society for Industrial Ecology, ISIE. Toronto (Canada) 17-20 June 2007, p. 28.
Milà i Canals L, Koerber GR, Brandão M, York EH, Clift R, Jones DL, Cowell SJ, Edwards-Jones G (2007) Impacts on soil quality in the LCA of horticultural crops. 17th SETAC Europe Annual Meeting. Abstract book. Porto (Portugal) 20-24 May 2007, p. 148.
Milà i Canals L, Koerber GR, Brandão M, York EH, Clift R, Jones DL, Edwards-Jones G (2007) Contribution of soil emissions to the impacts of horticulture: comparison of literature estimates with field measurements. 17th SETAC Europe Annual Meeting. Abstract book. Porto (Portugal) 20-24 May 2007, p. 143.
Brandão, M. (forthcoming): Food Systems Revisited: their evolution and sustainability implications from an interdisciplinary perspective. Abstract Book. Food Security and Environmental Change. Oxford (UK) 2-4 April 2008.
Brandão, M. (forthcoming). Life-Cycle Carbon Emissions from Food Systems: where are the hotspots and how much do they depend on management. Abstract Book. Food Security and Environmental Change. Oxford (UK) 2-4 April 2008.
Brandão, M, Mulugetta, Y and Clift, R. (forthcoming): Food Security or Energy Security: how sustainable is bioenergy? Abstract Book. Food Security and Environmental Change. Oxford (UK) 2-4 April 2008.
Brandão, M. (forthcoming): Integrated Sustainability Impact Assessment of Multifunctional Land Use: Agricultural and Silvicultural Systems and their value chains. Abstract Book. Impact Assessment of Land Use Changes. Berlin (Germany) 6-9 April 2008.
Brandão M, Clift R, Milà i Canals L (forthcoming) Integrating Value Chain Analysis and Life Cycle Carbon Footprinting of Land Use in UK. Abstract Book. SETAC Europe 18th Annual Meeting. Warsaw (Poland). 25-29 May 2008.
Books:
Brandão M, Schmutz U, Firth C (2005): Farm Economics and Business Planning. In Organic Vegetable Production - A Complete Guide, eds. G. Davies & M. Lennartsson, The Crowood Press. Ramsbury, pp. 350
Lampkin et al. (eds.) (in press): Country Reports: Portugal. In Volume 12 "Further development of Organic Farming Policy in Europe, with Particular Emphasis on EU Enlargement". Organic Farming in Europe: Economics and Policy. Stuttgart-Hohenheim,
Lampkin, N., M. Measures, and S. Padel, eds. 2007 Organic Farm Management Handbook. 2006.
Contact Details
| m.brandao@surrey.ac.uk | |
| Phone | +44 (0)1483 686676 |
| Fax | +44 (0)1483 686671 |
| Postal Address | Centre for Environmental Strategy Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences University of Surrey (D3) GU2 7XH United Kingdom |