Overview
I teach and research in the fields of aquatic biogeochemistry, carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Current research is focussed on optimising drinking water treatment processes, using novel constructed wetland and impoundment systems to reduce eutrophication in industrial and rare habitat applications, biofuel production and biodiversity and carbon fluxes in mangrove ecosystems. I have work published in Nature, Nature Geoscience and other leading journals. I am currently the lead for Graduate Studies in Biological Sciences, and head an Aquatic Ecosystems research group.
Additional Contact Information
Room 525, 4th Floor Brambell, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University
email: n.fenner@bangor.ac.uk
Teaching and Supervision
I am currently the lead for Graduate Studies in Biological Sciences, and head an Aquatic Ecosystems research group. I convene modules on freshwater ecosystems, wetland ecosystem goods and services and a field trip to the mangroves of South West Florida (in collaboration with Florida Gulf Coast University).
Potential PhD and Masters by Research can be seen in the following section. Make a difference and study in a field that might help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication or habitat degredation!
Postgraduate Project Opportunities
I would consider applications with funding to study in the following fields:
- Mangrove Ecosystems
- Surf Snowdonia (and inland wave garden)
- Drinking Water Quality
- Waste Water Treatment
- Carbon Sequestration
- Ecological and Geoengineering strategies
- Biodiversity
- Carbon Neutral Biofuels
Mangrove Ecosystems - carbon sequestration and biodiversity themes
Surf Snowdonia (and inland wave garden) - various opportunites relating to water quality and ecosystem goods and services
Drinking Water Quality (with particular focus on algal blooms and/or DOC)
Waste Water Treatment - novel approaches using constructed aquatic systems
Ecological and Geoengineering strategies - including carbon sequestration in wetlands and peatlands, but also aquatic ecosystems
Carbon Sequestration - in mangroves, peatlands, lakes and reservoirs
Biodiversity - focussing on lower trophic levels of aquatic ecosytems (e.g. algae and phytoplankton)
Carbon Neutral Biofuels - focussing on novel sources and production
Publications
2024
- PublishedChronic ozone exposure affects nitrogen remobilization in wheat at key growth stages
Brewster, C., Fenner, N. & Hayes, F., 15 Jan 2024, In: Science of the Total Environment. 168288.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2022
- PublishedAn iron-reduction-mediated cascade mechanism increases the risk of carbon loss from mineral-rich peatlands
Qin, L., Freeman, C., Zou, Y., Wang, G., Fenner, N., Yang, L., Otte, M. L. & Jiang, M., 1 Apr 2022, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 172, 104361.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2021
- PublishedEffects of Climate Change on Peatland Reservoirs: A DOC Perspective
Fenner, N., Meadham, J., Jones, T., Hayes, F. & Freeman, C., Jul 2021, In: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 35, 7, e2021GB006992.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2020
- PublishedWoody litter protects peat carbon stocks during drought
Fenner, N. & Freeman, C., 16 Mar 2020, In: Nature Climate Change. 10, 4, p. 363-369
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2019
- PublishedHydro-chemical effects following restoration mowing in two rich fen plant communities
Menichino, N. M., Evans, C., Fenner, N., Freeman, C. & Jones, L., 1 Feb 2019, In: Ecological Engineering. 127, p. 536-546
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedImpact of long-term nitrogen deposition on the response of dune grassland ecosystems to elevated summer ozone
Hayes, F., Lloyd, B., Mills, G., Jones, L., Dore, A. J., Carnell, E., Vieno, M., Dise, N. & Fenner, N., 1 Oct 2019, In: Environmental Pollution. 253, p. 821-830
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedOzone Tolerance Found in Aegilops tauschii and Primary Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat
Brewster, C., Hayes, F. & Fenner, N., 28 Jun 2019, In: Plants. 8, 7, 12 p., 195.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedUnraveling the Importance of Polyphenols for Microbial Carbon Mineralization in Rewetted Riparian Peatlands
Zak, D., Roth, C., Unger, V., Goldhammer, T., Fenner, N., Freeman, C. & Jurasinski, G., 4 Oct 2019, In: Frontiers in Environmental Science. 7
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2017
- PublishedA communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity
Thompson, L. R., Sanders, J. G., McDonald, D., Amir, A., Ladau, J., Locey, K. J., Prill, R. J., Tripathi, A., Gibbons, S. M., Ackermann, G., Navas-Molina, J. A., Janssen, S., Kopylova, E., Vazquez-Baeza, Y., Gonzalez, A., Morton, J. T., Mirarab, S., Xu, Z. Z., Jiang, L., Haroon, M. F., Kanbar, J., Zhu, Q., Song, S. J., Kosciolek, T., Bokulich, N. A., Lefler, J., Brislawn, C. J., Humphrey, G., Owens, S. M., Hampton-Marcell, J., Berg-Lyons, D., McKenzie, V., Fierer, N., Fuhrman, J. A., Clauset, A., Stevens, R. L., Shade, A., Pollard, K. S., Goodwin, K. D., Jansson, J. K., Gilbert, J. A., Knight, R., Agosto Rivera, J. L., Al-Moosawi, L., Alverdy, J., Amato, K. R., Andras, J., Angenent, L. T., Antonopoulos, D. A., Apprill, A., Armitage, D., Ballantine, K., Bárta, J., Baum, J. K., Berry, A., Bhatnagar, A., Bhatnagar, M., Biddle, J. F., Bittner, L., Boldgiv, B., Bottos, E., Boyer, D. M., Braun, J., Brazelton, W., Brearley, F. Q., Campbell, A. H., Caporaso, J. G., Cardona, C., Carroll, J., Cary, S. C., Casper, B. B., Charles, T. C., Chu, H., Claar, D. C., Clark, R. G., Clayton, J. B., Clemente, J. C., Cochran, A., Coleman, M. L., Collins, G., Colwel, R. R., Contreras, M., Crary, B. B., Creer, S., Cristol, D. A., Crump, B. C., Cui, D., Daly, S. E., Davalos, L., Dawson, R. D., Defazio, J., Delsuc, F., Dionisi, H. M., Dominguez-Bello, M. G., Dowell, R., Dubinsky, E. A., Dunn, P. O., Ercolini, D., Espinoza, R. E., Ezenwa, V., Fenner, N., Findlay, H. S., Fleming, I. D., Fogliano, V., Forsman, A., Freeman, C., Friedman, E. S., Galindo, G., Garcia, L., Garcia-Amado, M. A., Garshelis, D., Gasser, R. B., Gerdts, G., Gibson, M. K., Gifford, I., Gill, R. T., Giray, T., Gittel, A., Golyshin, P., Gong, D., Grossart, H.-P., Guyton, K., Haig, S.-J., Hale, V., Hall, R. S., Hallam, S. J., Handley, K. M., Hasan, N. A., Haydon, S. R., Hickman, J. E., Hidalgo, G., Hofmockel, K. S., Hooker, J., Hulth, S., Hultman, J., Hyde, E., Ibáñez-Álamo, J. D., Jastrow, J. D., Jex, A. R., Johnson, L. S., Johnston, E. R., Joseph, S., Jurburg, S. D., Jurelevicius, D., Karlsson, A., Karlsson, R., Kauppinen, S., Kellogg, C. T. E., Kennedy, S. J., Kerkhof, L. J., King, G. M., Kling, G. W., Koehler, A. V., Krezalek, M., Kueneman, J., Lamendella, R., Landon, E. M., Lane-deGraaf, K., LaRoche, J., Larsen, P., Laverock, B., Lax, S., Lentino, M., Levin, I. I., Liancourt, P., Liang, W., Linz, A. M., Lipson, D. A., Liu, Y., Lladser, M. E., Lozada, M., Spirito, C. M., MacCormack, W. P., MacRae-Crerar, A., Magris, M., Martín-Platero, A. M., Martín-Vivaldi, M., Martínez, L. M., Martínez-Bueno, M., Marzinelli, E. M., Mason, O. U., Mayer, G. D., McDevitt-Irwin, J. M., McDonald, J., McGuire, K. L., McMahon, K. D., McMinds, R., Medina, M., Mendelson, J. R., Metcalf, J. L., Meyer, F., Michelangeli, F., Miller, K., Mills, D. A., Minich, J., Mocali, S., Moitinho-Silva, L., Moore, A., Morgan-Kiss, R. M., Munroe, P., Myrold, D., Neufeld, J. D., Ni, Y., Nicol, G. W., Nielsen, S., Nissimov, J. I., Niu, K., Nolan, M. J., Noyce, K., O’Brien, S. L., Okamoto, N., Orlando, L., Ortiz Castellano, Y., Osuolale, O., Oswald, W., Parnell, J., Peralta-Sánchez, J. M., Petraitis, P., Pfister, C., Pilon-Smits, E., Piombino, P., Pointing, S. B., Pollock, F. J., Potter, C., Prithiviraj, B., Quince, C., Rani, A., Ranjan, R., Rao, S., Rees, A. P., Richardson, M., Riebesell, U., Robinson, C., Rockne, K. J., Rodriguezl, S. M., Rohwer, F., Roundstone, W., Safran, R. J., Sangwan, N., Sanz, V., Schrenk, M., Schrenzel, M. D., Scott, N. M., Seger, R. L., Seguin-Orlando, A., Seldin, L., Seyler, L. M., Shakhsheer, B., Sheets, G. M., Shen, C., Shi, Y., Shin, H., Shogan, B. D., Shutler, D., Siegel, J., Simmons, S., Sjöling, S., Smith, D. P., Soler, J. J., Sperling, M., Steinberg, P. D., Stephens, B., Stevens, M. A., Taghavi, S., Tai, V., Tait, K., Tan, C. L., Tas, N., Taylor, D. L., Thomas, T., Timling, I., Turner, B. L., Urich, T., Ursell, L. K., van der Lelie, D., Van Treuren, W., van Zwieten, L., Vargas-Robles, D., Vega Thurber, R., Vitaglione, P., Walker, D. A., Walters, W. A., Wang, S., Wang, T., Weave, T., Webster, N. S., Wehrle, B., Weisenhorn, P., Weiss, S., Werner, J. J., West, K., Whitehead, A., Whitehead, S. R., Whittingham, L. A., Willerslev, E., Williams, A. E., Wood, S. A., Woodhams, D. C., Yang, Y., Zaneveld, J., Zarraonaindia, I., Zhang, Q. & Zhao, H., 23 Nov 2017, In: Nature. 551, 7681, p. 457-+
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedEvaluation of algal bloom mitigation and nutrient removal in floating constructed wetlands with different macrophyte species
Fenner, N., West, M., Gough, R. & Freeman, C., Nov 2017, In: Ecological Engineering. 108, Part B, p. 581-588
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedSubtle shifts in microbial communities occur alongside the release of carbon induced by drought and rewetting in contrasting peatland ecosystems
Potter, C., Freeman, C., Golyshin, P., Ackerman, G., Fenner, N., McDonald, J., Ehbair, A., Jones, T., Murphy, L. & Creer, S., Sept 2017, In: Scientific Reports. 7, 11314.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe drinking water contaminant dibromoacetonitrile delays G1-S transition and suppresses Chk1 activation at broken replication forks
Caspari, T., Dyer, J., Fenner, N., Dunn, C. & Freeman, C., 2017, In: Scientific Reports. 7, 12730.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2016
- PublishedInfluence of water table depth on pore water chemistry and Trihalomethane Formation potential in peatlands
Gough, R. S., Gough, R., Holliman, P. J., Fenner, N., Peacock, M. & Freeman, C., 1 Feb 2016, In: Water Environment Research. 88, 2, p. 107-117
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedOptions for Geoengineering the Climate via Microorganisms: A Peatland Case Study
Dunn, C., Fenner, N., Shirsat, A. & Freeman, C., Mar 2016, Climate Change and Microbial Ecology: Current Research and Future Trends. Caister Academic Press, p. 185-200
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter - PublishedRelationships between reservoir water quality and catchment habitat type
Gough, R., Cohen, Y., Fenner, N., Cannon, J. & Freeman, C., 1 Jan 2016, In: International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management. 19, 1, p. 16-39
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedSmall changes in water levels and groundwater nutrients alter nitrogen and carbon processing in dune slack soils
Rhymes, J., Jones, L., Wallace, H., Jones, T. G., Dunn, C. & Fenner, N., Aug 2016, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 99, p. 28-35
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2015
- PublishedContrasting response to mowing in two abandoned rich fen plant communities
Menichino, N. M., Fenner, N., Pullin, A. S., Jones, P. S., Guest, J. & Jones, L., 7 Dec 2015, In: Ecological Engineering. 86, p. 210-222
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedUsing chemical, microbial and fluorescence techniques to understand contaminant sources and pathways to wetlands in a conservation site
Rhymes, J. M., Rhymes, J., Jones, L., Lapworth, D. J., White, D., Fenner, N., McDonald, J. E. & Perkins, T. L., 20 Jan 2015, In: Science of the Total Environment. 511, p. 703-710
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2014
- PublishedEvidence for sensitivity of dune wetlands to groundwater nutrients
Rhymes, J. M., Rhymes, J., Wallace, H., Fenner, N. & Jones, L., 21 May 2014, In: Science of the Total Environment. 490, p. 103-113
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedInfilled Ditches are Hotspots of Landscape Methane Flux Following Peatland Re-wetting
Cooper, M. D., Evans, C., Zielinski, P., Levy, P. E., Gray, A., Peacock, M., Norris, D., Fenner, N. & Freeman, C., Nov 2014, In: Ecosystems. 17, 7, p. 1227-1241
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe effect of peatland drainage and rewetting (ditch blocking) on extracellular enzyme activities and water chemistry
Airey, B. J., Johncock, A. C., Peacock, M. A., Peacock, M., Jones, T. G., Airey, B., Johncock, A., Evans, C. D., Lebron, I., Fenner, N. & Freeman, C., 21 Aug 2014, In: Soil Use and Management. 31, 1
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedUV-visible absorbance spectroscopy as a proxy for peatland dissolved organic carbon (DOC) quantity and quality: considerations on wavelength and absorbance degradation
Gough, R. S., Peacock, M., Evans, C. D., Fenner, N., Freeman, C., Gough, R., Jones, T. G. & Lebron, I., 4 Apr 2014, In: Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. 50, 6, p. 1445-1461
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2013
- PublishedCarbon preservation in humic lakes; a hierarchical regulatory pathway
Fenner, N. & Freeman, C., 1 Mar 2013, In: Global Change Biology. 19, 3, p. 775-784
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedNatural revegetation of bog pools after peatland restoration involving ditch blocking—The influence of pool depth and implications for carbon cycling
Peacock, M., Evands, C. D., Fenner, N. & Freeman, C., 1 Aug 2013, In: Ecological Engineering. 57, p. 297-301
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedQuantifying dissolved organic carbon concentrations in upland catchments using phenolic proxy measurements
Peacock, M., Burden, A., Cooper, M., Dunn, C., Evans, C. D., Fenner, N., Freeman, C. G., Gough, R. S., Hughes, D., Hughes, S., Jones, T., Lebron, I., West, M. & Zieliński, P., 16 Jan 2013, In: Journal of Hydrology. 477, p. 251-260
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2012
- PublishedFunctional and structural responses of bacterial and methanogen communities to 3-year warming incubation in different depths of peat mire
Kim, S. Y., Freeman, C., Fenner, N. & Kang, H., 1 Jun 2012, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 57, p. 23-30
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedPeatland geoengineering: an alternative approach to terrestrial carbon sequestration
Freeman, C., Fenner, N. & Shirsat, A. H., 13 Sept 2012, In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. 370, 1974, p. 4404-4421
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2011
- PublishedAdditional carbon sequestration benefits of grassland diversity restoration.
De Deyn, G. B., Shiel, R. S., Ostle, N. J., McNamara, N. P., Oakley, S., Young, I., Freeman, C., Fenner, N., Quirk, H. & Bardgett, R. D., 1 Jun 2011, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 48, 3, p. 600-608
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedDecomposition ‘hotspots’ in a rewetted peatland: implications for water quality and carbon cycling
Fenner, N., Williams, R., Toberman, H., Hughes, S., Reynolds, B. & Freeman, C., 1 Oct 2011, In: Hydrobiologia. 674, 1, p. 51-66
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedDrought-induced carbon loss in peatlands
Fenner, N. & Freeman, C., 20 Nov 2011, In: Nature Geoscience. 4, p. 895-900
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2009
- PublishedHydrological controls on dissolved organic carbon production and release from UK peatlands.
Fenner, N., Freeman, C., Worrall, F., Baird, A. J. (Editor), Belyea, L. R. (Editor), Xavier Comas, A. S. (Editor) & Slater, L. D. (Editor), 1 Jan 2009, Carbon Cycling in Northern Peatlands. 2009 ed. American Geophysical Union
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter - PublishedThe interactive effects of elevated carbon dioxide and water table draw-down on carbon cycling in a Welsh ombrotrophic bog.
Ellis, T., Hill, P. W., Fenner, N., Williams, G. G., Godbold, D. & Freeman, C., 1 Jun 2009, In: Ecological Engineering. 35, 6, p. 978-986
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2008
- PublishedComparative analysis of soil microbial communities and their responses to the short-term drought in bog, fen, and riparian wetlands
Kim, S. Y., Lee, S. H., Freeman, C., Fenner, N. & Kang, H., 1 Nov 2008, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 40, 11, p. 2874-2880
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedImpeded drainage stimulates extracellular phenol oxidase activity in riparian peat cores.
Toberman, H., Freeman, C., Artz, R. R., Evans, C. D. & Fenner, N., 1 Dec 2008, In: Soil Use and Management. 24, 4, p. 357-365
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedSummer drought decreases soil fungal diversity and associated phenol oxidase activity in upland Calluna heathland soil
Toberman, H., Freeman, C., Evans, C., Fenner, N. & Artz, R. R., 1 Nov 2008, In: Fems Microbiology Ecology. 66, 2, p. 426-436
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedSummer drought effects upon soil and litter extracellular phenol oxidase activity and soluble carbon release in an upland Calluna heathland
Toberman, H., Evans, C., Freeman, C., Fenner, N., White, M., Emmett, B. & Artz, R. R., 1 Jun 2008, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 40, 6, p. 1519-1532
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2007
- PublishedElevated CO2 effects on peatland plant community carbon dynamics and DOC production.
Fenner, N., Ostle, N. J., McNamara, N., Sparks, T., Harmens, H., Reynolds, B. & Freeman, C., 1 Jun 2007, In: Ecosystems. 10, 4, p. 635-647
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedInteractions between elevated CO2 and warming could amplify DOC exports from peatland catchments.
Fenner, N., Freeman, C., Lock, M. A., Harmens, H., Reynolds, B. & Sparks, T., 29 Mar 2007, In: Environmental Science and Technology. 41, 9, p. 3146-3152
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2006
- PublishedA novel approach to studying the effects of temperature on soil biogeochemistry using a thermal gradient bar
Fenner, N., Dowrick, D. J., Lock, M. A., Rafarel, C. R. & Freeman, C., 1 Sept 2006, In: Soil Use and Management. 22, 3, p. 267-273
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedAtmospheric nitrogen deposition promotes carbon loss from peat bogs
Bragazza, L., Freeman, C., Jones, T., Rydin, H., Limpens, J., Fenner, N., Ellis, T., Gerdol, R., Hajek, T., Iacumin, P., Kutnar, L., Tahvanainen, T. & Toberman, H., 19 Dec 2006, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 103, 51, p. 19386-19398
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2005
- PublishedHydrological effects on the diversity of phenolic degrading bacteria in a peatland: implications for carbon cycling.
Fenner, N., Freeman, C. & Reynolds, B., 1 Jul 2005, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 37, 7, p. 1277-1287
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedObservations of a seasonally shifting thermal optimum in peatland carbon-cycling processes; implications for the global carbon cycle and soil enzyme methodologies.
Fenner, N., Freeman, C. & Reynolds, B., 1 Oct 2005, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 37, 10, p. 1814-1821
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedShifts of soil enzyme activities in wetlands exposed to elevated CO2
Kang, H., Kim, S. Y., Fenner, N. & Freeman, C., 20 Jan 2005, In: Science of the Total Environment. 337, 1-3, p. 207-212
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2004
- PublishedA regulatory role for phenol oxidase during decomposition in peatlands.
Freeman, C., Ostle, N., Fenner, N. & Kang, H., 1 Oct 2004, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 36, 10, p. 1663-1667
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedExport of dissolved organic carbon from peatlands under elevated carbon dioxide levels.
Freeman, C., Fenner, N., Ostle, N. J., Kang, H., Dowrick, D. J., Reynolds, B., Lock, M. A., Sleep, D., Hughes, S. & Hudson, J., 8 Jul 2004, In: Nature. 430, 6996, p. 195-198
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedPeatland carbon efflux partitioning reveals that Sphagnum photosynthate contributes to the DOC pool
Fenner, N., Ostle, N., Freeman, C., Sleep, D. & Reynolds, B., Feb 2004, In: Plant and Soil. 259, 1-2, p. 345-354
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2002
- PublishedClimate change - Terrestrial export of organic carbon - Reply
Evans, C. D., Freeman, C., Monteith, D. T., Reynolds, B. & Fenner, N., 21 Feb 2002, In: Nature. 415, 6874, p. 862
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2001
- PublishedExport of organic carbon from peat soils.
Freeman, C., Evans, C. D., Monteith, D. T., Reynolds, B. & Fenner, N., 23 Aug 2001, In: Nature. 412, 6849, p. 785
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedMolecular weight spectra of dissolved organic carbon in a rewetted Welsh peatland and possible implications for water quality.
Fenner, N., Freeman, C., Hughes, S. & Reynolds, B., 1 Jun 2001, In: Soil Use and Management. 17, 2, p. 106-112
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Projects
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01/01/2022 – 30/09/2023 (Finished)