Davey Jones holds a Professorial Chair position in SAGE at the University of Western Australia and a Professorial Chair in Soil and Environmental Science at Bangor University. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow held jointly between Cornell University and the US Department of Agriculture in the USA (with Prof Leon Kochian). He also carried out postdoctoral work under Prof Simon Gilroy at Penn State University.  A major focus of his research is on understanding below-ground processes with specific focus on nutrients and human pathogen behavior in soil-plant-microbial systems.

Current applications of his work include (1) the implementation of strategies for controlling E. coli O157 and viral pathogens in agricultural, freshwater and marine ecosystems, (2) promoting carbon sequestration in agricultural systems and understanding the factors regulating carbon cycling and greenhouse gas emissions, (3) developing ways to improve nutrient use efficiency in cropping systems with specific focus on nitrogen and phosphorus, (4) nutrient dynamics in polar (Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems), (5) devising strategies for the effective reuse of wastes for land restoration and remediation (heavy metals and organic pollutants), (6) soil microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning, (7) modelling nutrients dynamics in the plant-soil-microbial and freshwater ecosystems, (8) understanding  the barriers to technology adoption by farmers, (9) the flow of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment, (10) the impact of flooding, drought and ozone on ecosystem functioning (including tipping points) and potential strategies to enhance ecosystem resilience, and (11) influence of microplastics in soil and freshwater envionments.

He has published more than 430 scientific journal articles (ISI H-index = 72; 21,500 citations) and has advised UK government on both their waste and climate change policies. His research is mainly funded via GRDC in Australia and NERC, BBSRC, Welsh Government, Defra and the European Union in the UK.

Current and past external responsibilities:

• UK BBSRC Panel Member
• UK NERC College Member
• New Zealand MBIE College Member
• Welsh Government Land Use and Climate Change Group Member
• Associate Editor with Agriculture
• Associate Editor with Soil and Environmental Science
• Editor with Soil and Environment
• Editorial Board Soil Ecology Letters
• Associate Editor Frontiers in Agronomy
• Associate Editor with Rhizosphere
• Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists
• Training manager for the STARS College of Doctoral Training in Soil Science
• Adjunct Professor at Clemson University