Dr Judith Thornton

PhD

Dr Judith Thornton

Low Carbon Manager (Beacon)

IBERS

Contact Details

Judith is a Low Carbon Manager in IBERS. Her main interest is in future plant based economies, and how we might make better use of plants in the future. She sits on the Welsh Government Agriculture Industry Climate Change Forum, and is an expert advisor on the Labour/Plaid Cymru Net Zero 2035 challenge group.

Judith has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Leeds (water footprinting and water efficiency), and Cardiff University (low carbon futures, water history). She has also had teaching positions at the University of Padua (Potable Water System Engineering) and was an MSc tutor at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT, Machynlleth). Judith spent a number of years working on small scale water and sewage systems and wrote national water efficiency standards for the AECB and a book on private water supplies, as well as desigining/installing water and sewage treatment systems and undertaking consultancy work including for Energy Savings Trust, Environment Agency, and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Her personal blog is here.

Judith works with the Miscanthus team in IBERS across a range of projects, including breeding, agronomy and commercial deployment. She is particularly interested in plants as building materials, and was involved in building the world's first Miscanthus bale house. She has also insulated her house with Miscanthus, and has done comparative studies of the suitability of different plants for a range of end products. Her aim is to improve the dialogue between the end user (the building industry) and the designer (the plant scientist and breeder), in order that future plant-based building materials are fit for purpose. At present, this includes work on strawbale building, bioaggregate wall insulation, and breathable plasters containing plant material.

She also has a wider interest in climate change and net zero, and how the agricultural industry can adapt to deliver food, energy, products, carbon sequestration and environmental benefits. 

  • Industrial Crops

Construction and As-Built Performance of a Miscanthus Straw Bale House. / Thornton, Judith M.; Rowan, Bee; Mos, Michal et al.
In: Buildings, Vol. 15, No. 17, 3075, 28.08.2025.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Innovations for a Changing World: IBERS Impact Case Studies. / Donnison, Iain; Farrar, Kerrie; Kingston-Smith, Alison et al.
Prifysgol Aberystwyth | Aberystwyth University, 2025. 27 p.

Research output: Book/Report › Book

How could Wales feed itself by 2035? Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group. / Thornton, Judith.
Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group, 2024. 38 p.

Research output: Book/Report › Technical Report

How could Wales heat and build homes and workplaces by 2035? Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group. / Thornton, Judith.
Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group, 2024. 24 p.

Research output: Book/Report › Technical Report

Upscaling miscanthus production in the United Kingdom: The benefits, challenges, and trade-offs. / Hodgson, E. M.; McCalmont, J.; Rowe, R. et al.
In: GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 16, No. 8, e13177, 31.08.2024.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › peer-review

More publications on the Research Portal