Emeritus Professor

Contact Details

Office: Room Mel 201
Tel No: +44 (0)1223 363271 (ext 2169)
Fax No: +44 (0)1223 417712
E-mail: john.waterhouse@anglia.ac.uk

Profile

John Waterhouse teaches organic chemistry on several of the undergraduate chemistry modules, with a main interest in organic synthesis, stereochemistry and mechanisms. He also combines personal and professional interests in the module Archaeological Chemistry. He is the Director of the Environmental Sciences Research Centre, one of three Research and Development Centres within the University. His main research interests are: (i) the use of stable isotopes in tree rings for environmental reconstruction and (ii) chemical communication in mammals. Current and past grants for research in these topics have be obtained from the EC, NERC, and the Leverhulme Trust.

Teaching Experience

Module Leader:

Organic Stereochemistry and Mechanism
Modern Synthetic Methods
Physical Organic Chemistry
Aromatic and Heterocyclic Chemistry
Archaeological Chemistry

Other Academic Activities

Delivery of workshops for the Graduate School for the Research Student Training Programme and the Research Supervisors Support Programme.

Delivery of training sessions for research students within the Faculty.

Additional Responsibilities

Director, Environmental Sciences Research Centre.
Member of the Faculty Research Degrees Committee.
Member of the (Applied Sciences) Research Committee.
Member of the University Research Degrees Committee.
Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
External Examiner for MSc in Environmental Quality Management at De Montfort University, Leicester, 2001 - present
External Examiner for PhD University of Calcutta, 1993.

Recent Refereeing

Many papers refereed for several journals including: Nature, Journal of Chemical Ecology, Journal of Lipid Mediators and Cell Signalling, American Journal of Primatology, Journal of Physiology and Behaviour, Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, The Holocene, Earth and Planetary Science Letters

Research

See Environmental Sciences Research Centre

Isotopic Dendroclimatology: This concerns the measurement of the ratios of the stable isotopes of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in the cellulose of tree rings. The precise values of these ratios depends upon the climatic conditions under which the tree ring was laid down, and so tree rings can provide a record of past climate in their record of isotope ratios. The great advantage of tree rings over other proxy climate records lies in the unambiguous annual resolution that the rings provide. The isotope ratios in living trees have also provided evidence for the ways in which trees are responding to the present increases in the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide. We have strong collaborative links with the Godwin Institute for Quaternary Research at Cambridge University, and we collaborate at international level with institutions in Europe. Funding for recent projects has been obtained from NERC, the Leverhulme Trust and the European Commission.

Mammalian Semiochemistry: This refers to the study of chemical communication between mammals. Social interaction is often mediated by olfactory communication, which can provide information on matters such as social and sexual status, emotional state, and territoriality. The organic compounds necessary for this communication are usually volatile, so that they can be detected at a distance. Urine, faeces and glandular secretions are all used to transmit chemical information. Knowledge of olfactory communication can be a great help in understanding animal behaviour, and may be used to develop environmentally acceptable methods of control and in the conservation of endangered species.

Our interests have concentrated on identifying the volatile components of glandular secretions by analysis using a gas chromatograph linked to a mass spectrometer. Recent projects have included a study of the dorsal gland secretion of three species of peccary, (the collared (Tayassu tajacu) the white-lipped (Tayassu pecari) and the Chacoan (Catagonus wagneri)) and the subcaudal gland secretion of the European badger (Meles meles). Current projects include an investigation of the role of chemical communication in social interaction of mara (Dolichotis patagonum) and chemical communication in the tiger and red panda (Ailurus fulgens). We have strong collaborative links with IACR Rothamsted and the Institute of Zoology.

Publications

Knapp, L.A. Robson, J. and J. Waterhouse Olfactory signals and the MHC. American Journal of Primatology (in press).

Rinne K.T., Böttger T., Loader N.J., Robertson I., Switsur V.R., Waterhouse J.S. (2005) On the purification of ?-cellulose from resinous wood for stable isotope analysis: implications for carbon, oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope analysis. Chemical Geology, 222, 75-82

Ottway D, Pankhurst S.J. and Waterhouse J.S. (2004) A possible function for female enurination in the mara (Dolichotis patagonum). In: Chemical Signals in Vertebrates X, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.

Tomova B., Waterhouse J.S. and Doberski, J (2004) The effect of fractionated Tagetes oil volatiles on aphid reproduction Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 115, 153-159.

J.S. Waterhouse, V.R. Switsur, A.C. Barker, A.H.C. Carter, D.L. Hemming, N.J. Loader and I. Robertson I (2004) Northern European Trees show a progressively diminishing response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Quaternary Science Review 23, 803-810.

J.S. Waterhouse, V.R. Switsur, A.C. Barker, A.H.C. Carter AHC and I. Robertson I. (2002) Oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios in tree rings: how well do models predict observed values? Earth and Planetary Science Letters 201, 421-430.

C.D. Buesching, J.S. Waterhouse and D.W. Macdonald (2002) Gas-chromatographic analyses of the subcaudal gland secretion of the European badger (Meles meles) Part II: Time-related variation in the individual-specific composition. J. Chem. Ecol. 28, 57-69.

C.D. Buesching, J.S. Waterhouse, D.W. Macdonald (2002) Gas chromatographic analyses of the subcaudal gland secretion of the European badger (Meles meles) Part 1: Chemical differences related to individual parameters. J. Chem. Ecol. 28, 41-56.

J.S. Waterhouse, M. Hudson, J.A. Pickett and P.J. Weldon (2001). Volatile components in dorsal gland secretions of the white-lipped peccary, Tayassu pecari, from Bolivia. J. Chem. Ecol. 27, 2459-2469.

I. Robertson, J.S. Waterhouse, A.C. Barker, A.H.C. Carter and V.R. Switsur (2001) Reconstructing oxygen isotope ratios of precipitation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 191(1-2) 21-31

C. Kirby, M. Fox, J. Waterhouse and T. Drye T (2001) Influence of environmental parameters on the accuracy of nitrogen dioxide passive diffusion tubes for ambient measurement. J. Environ, Monit. 3, 150-158.

C. Kirky, M. Fox and J. Waterhouse (2000) Reliability of nitrogen dioxide passive diffusion tubes for ambient measurement: in situ properties of the triethanolamine absorbent. J. Environ. Monit., 2, 307-312.

J.S. Waterhouse, A.C. Barker, A.H.C. Carter, A.N. Agafonov and N. Loader (2000) Stable carbon isotopes in Scots pine tree rings preserve a record of flow of the river Ob. Geophysical Research Letters, 27, 3529-3532.

Presentations at International Meetings

'Comparing the Composition of Volatiles Emitted from Tagetes Plants and Essential Oils by Means of Solid Phase Microextraction'; Application of Different Sampling Techniques to Characterize Tagetes Essential Oils Volatiles. 27th International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography (ISCC 27), Riva del Garda, Italy. 31 May ? 4 June, 2004

'Towards a novel method for determining hydrogen isotope ratios in tree rings' First ISONET Research Conference, Jülich, Germany, 6-7 February, 2003.

'Climatic and Environmental Studies with Isotopes in Tree Rings' Tree Rings and People, Davos Switzerland, 22-26 September, 2001.

'The Formation of Chlorine Dioxide in Aqueous Solutions' European Conference in Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms, Galway, Ireland, January, 2001 (with Sarah Hall, Mike Davies, John Hudson and Istvan Fabian).

'The Generation of Chlorine Dioxide in Aqueous Solutions' European Conference in Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms, Zagreb, Croatia, January, 2000 (with Sarah Hall, Mike Davies and John Hudson).

'Oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios in tree rings: similarities, differences and unanswered questions' International Conference on Dendrochronology for the Third Millennium, Mendoza, Argentina, 2nd-7th April, 2000 (with A C Barker, A H C Carter, I Robertson and V R Switsur).

'Carbon isotope values as a record of climate and river flow in the floodplain of the River Ob', International Conference on Stable Isotopes and Isotope Effects, Carry le Rouet, France, 20th-25th June, 1999 (with A C Barker, L I Agafonov, A H C Carter & N J Loader).

Patents

'Extractor Device' GB Patent Application no. 0111293.7, May 2001 (with N.J.Loader)

'Photopolymerizable Resins', U.S.P. 4 392 930, 1983 (with R.D. Hathaway and E. Irving)

'Photopolymerisierbäre Härze', Europ. P., 0 070 253, 1982 (with R.D. Hathaway and E. Irving)

'Verfahren zur Erzeugung von Abbildungen', Europ. P. 0 057 162, 1982 (with G.E. Green)

'Imidyl Compounds', B.P. 1 544 840, 1979

'Crosslinkable Resins containing Substituted Maleimide Groups' B.P. 1 544 299, 1979

'Photopolmerisable Diepoxides', B.P. 1 527 416, 1978 (with G.E. Green and B.P. Stark)

'Photopolmerisable Epoxy Resins' B.P. 1 521 933, 1978 (with G.E. Green)

'Photopolmerisable Ketones', B.P. 1 512 969, 1978 (with G.E. Green and B.P. Stark)

'Imidyl Compounds for Photocrosslinkable Polymers for Printing Plates', Ger P. 2 626 795, 1976 (with M. Baumann V. Krita, and M. Roth)

Books

'The Stone Circles of Cumbria', Phillimore, Chichester, 1985

'Illustrated Dictionary of Chemistry' Usborne, London, 1987 (with J. Wertheim and C. Oxlade)

'Illustrated Dictionary of Science' Usborne, London, 1988 (with C. Stockley, C. Oxlade, and J. Wertheim)

Recent conference papers

K.T. Rinne, V.R. Switsur, J.S. Waterhouse 'Towards a 400 years record of annually resolved climate history of England from stable isotopes (H, C and O) of tree rings' 6th International Symposium on Applied Isotope Geochemistry, Prague, 11-16th September, 2005.

Knapp L., Robson J. and Waterhouse J.S. 'Olfactory signals and the MHC' IPS2004 Turin, Italy, 22-28th August, 2004.

Tomova B., J. Waterhouse & J. Doberski, The effect of Tagetes oil
volatiles on aphid reproduction and survival (2004), Proc. SIP 12, Berlin, Germany.

Tomova, B. and Waterhouse J.S. 'Comparing the Composition of Volatiles Emitted from Tagetes Plants and Essential Oils by Means of Solid Phase Microextraction'; Application of Different Sampling Techniques to Characterize Tagetes Essential Oils Volatiles. 27th International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography (ISCC 27), Riva del Garda, Italy. 31 May - 4 June, 2004.

Tomova B. & J. Waterhouse, 'Application of Different Sampling Techniques to Characterize Tagetes Essential Oils Volatiles', Proc. 27th ISCC, Riva del Garda, 31 May - 4 June, Italy 2004.