Dr Sarah Pepper

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Technical Specialist in Aqueous Geochemistry

Sarah Pepper
Profile picture of Sarah Pepper
Sarah.Pepper@sheffield.ac.uk
Sir Robert Hadfield Building

Full contact details

Dr Sarah Pepper
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

Sarah currently works as the Technical Specialist in Aqueous Geochemistry in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering.

Prior to this, Sarah had worked as a researcher at the Universities of Leeds and Sheffield, the Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Washington State University. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Manchester.

Sarah is the primary operator of the aqueous analysis facilities located within the Immobilisation Science Laboratory, which consists of a single-quad ICP-MS, two ICP-OES machines and anion chromatography. These instruments can measure most elements between lithium and uranium, as well as a wide range of anions, in various aqueous solutions at very low concentrations. In addition, solid materials can be digested, in partnership with the School of Chemistry, for analysis.

Qualifications
  • PhD Chemistry (University of Manchester)
  • Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA (Jan 2003-Nov 2006)
  • Post-doctoral Research Associate, Los Alamos National Laboratory – Carlsbad Operations, Carlsbad, NM, USA (Nov 2006 – Jan 2008)
  • Staff Scientist, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA (Jan 2008 – Nov 2011)
  • Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield (Nov 2016 – Nov 2018) & Department of Geography (Nov 2018 – May 2019)
  • Research Fellow, School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds (Jan 2020 – Oct 2021)
Research interests

Sarah’s research interests lie in understanding the fate and transport of contaminants either in environmental systems or in industrial process, with the ultimate aim of developing new remediation strategies to prevent/mitigate their impact. I am also interested in the development of new analytical methods under non-ideal conditions, for example high saline, strongly complexing or anoxic systems

In addition to this, she has developed analytical methodologies to support the detection of different species under challenging environments, e.g. high brine solutions, very low pH solutions, strongly complexing systems or anoxic/reducing conditions.

Publications

Journal articles

  • Fisher AJ, Thorpe CL, Haigh LT, Pepper SE & Edge R (2025) . MRS Advances.
  • Pepper SE, Robshaw TJ, Amphlett JTM, Ruder LR, Harwood LM, Lee TS, Whittle KR & Ogden MD (2024) . Progress in Nuclear Energy, 177, 105458-105458.
  • Amphlett JTM, Pepper SE, Harwood LM, Whittle KR, Lee TS, Moon EM, Joannes-Boyau R, Foster RI & Ogden MD (2024) . Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 699, 134639-134639.
  • Pepper SE, Baker A, Maher CJ, Carrott MJ, Turner J & Hanson BC (2024) . Progress in Nuclear Energy, 169.
  • Smith H, Cordara T, Gausse C, Pepper SE & Corkhill CL (2023) . npj Materials Degradation, 7.
  • Amphlett JTM, Pepper SE, Riley AL, Harwood LM, Cowell J, Whittle KR, Lee TS & Ogden MD (2020) . Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 82, 261-268.
  • Barton DNT, Robshaw TJ, Okusanya O, Kim D, Pepper SE, Sharrad CA, Lee TS & Ogden MD (2019) . Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 78, 210-221.
  • Namgung H, Gwon YJ, Kim J, Jang G, Pepper S, Ogden MD, Whittle KR, Harwood LM & Lee TS (2018) . Polymer, 158, 320-326.
  • Riley AL, Pepper SE, Sexton EL & Ogden MD (2018) Metal Removal from Synthetic Mine Tailing Leachates using Fixed-Bed Ion-Exchange Columns. Copper Cobalt Africa, incorporating the 9th Southern African Base Metals Conference.
  • Pepper SE, Whitte KR, Harwood LM, Cowell J, Seung Lee T & Ogden MD (2018) . Separation Science and Technology, 53(10), 1552-1562.
  • Canner AJ, Pepper SE, Hayer M & Ogden MD (2018) . Progress in Nuclear Energy, 104, 271-279.
  • Riley AL, Pepper SE, Canner AJ, Brown SF & Ogden MD (2018) . Separation Science and Technology, 53(1), 22-35.
  • Ogden MD, Moon EM, Wilson A & Pepper SE (2017) . Chemical Engineering Journal, 317, 80-89.
  • Ogden MD, Moon EM, Wilson A, Griffith C, Mata J, Soldenhoff K & Pepper SE (2017) . Chemical Engineering Journal, 324, 414-414.
  • Pepper SE & Ogden MD (2013) . Separation and Purification Technology, 118, 847-852.
  • Pepper SE, Borkowski M, Richmann MK & Reed DT (2010) . Analytica Chimica Acta, 663(2), 172-177.
  • Pepper SE, Peterman DR, Tranter TJ & White BM (2009) . Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 282(3), 909-912.
  • Reed DT, Pepper SE, Richmann MK, Smith G, Deo R & Rittmann BE (2007) . Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 444-445, 376-382.
  • Pepper SE, Hull LC, Bottenus BN & Clark SB (2006) . Radiochimica Acta, 94(4), 229-237.
  • Shaw S (2005) . American Mineralogist, 90(11-12), 1852-1860.
  • Pepper SE, Bunker DJ, Bryan ND, Livens FR, Charnock JM, Pattrick RAD & Collison D (2003) . Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 268(2), 408-412.

Book chapters

  • Keepax RE, Jones DM, Pepper SE & Bryan ND (2002) , Radioactivity in the Environment (pp. 143-177). Elsevier

Conference proceedings

  • Pepper S, Peterman DR & Tranter TJ (2009) Use of cloud point extraction to detect radionuclides in aqueous samples. ACS National Meeting Book of Abstracts
  • Pepper SE, Bottenus BN, Hull LC, Shepler CG & Clark SB (2006) (pp 277-291)

Preprints

  • Manifold G, Hand RJ, Littler C, Haigh LT, Rencz E, Stennett MC, Mir AH, Creasey-Gray S, Nehzati S, Qi J , Pepper S et al (2026) , Elsevier BV.