Research

A full, current list is on ORCID and Google Scholar.

Selected publications

• Flynn, T., Rasaei, Z., Kostecki, R. (2026). Smoothing Earth’s surface: The complexity of soil texture class transitions. Science of the Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181621
• Qasha, V., Manyevere, A., Flynn, T., Mashamaite, V. (2026). Active ecological restoration drives rapid soil chemistry and carbon change in Mistbelt Afromontane forests. Trees, Forests and People. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2026.101321
• Rasaei, Z., Sarmadian, F., Jafari, A., Flynn, T. (2025). Can environmental clustering reveal soil profile patterns? A depth-based approach at field scale. Catena. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109695
• Rasaei, Z., Sarmadian, F., Jafari, A., Flynn, T. (2025). Digital mapping of soil salinity: Overcoming the challenges of zero-inflated and skewed sample distributions. Pedosphere. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedsph.2025.08.007
• Francos, N., Sharififar, A., Flynn, T., Styc, Q., et al., McBratney, A. (2025). The global pedogenon map: Combining and spatialising the factors of soil formation. Geoderma. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117462
• Sharififar, A., Borrelli, P., Evangelista, S., Field, D., Flynn, T., et al. (2025). Soil policy principles and a policymaking framework using the soil security concept. Environmental Science & Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104057
• Flynn, T., Kostecki, R., Rebi, A., Raza, T. (2024). Accessing global soil raster images and equal-area splines to estimate soil organic carbon stocks on the regional scale. Pedosphere. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedsph.2024.07.004
• Flynn, T., Kostecki, R. (2024). Spatial downscaling of global soil texture classes into 30 m images at the province scale. Geomatica. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomat.2024.100028
• Flynn, T., Clarke, C., Kostecki, R., Rebi, A. (2024). A comparison of country-scale subsoil predictions between a numeric and a taxonomic soil classification system. Geoderma Regional. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2024.e00902

Earlier work

• Raza, T., Shehzad, M., Abbas, M., Eash, N.S., Jatav, H.S., Sillanpaa, M., Flynn, T. (2023). Impact assessment of COVID-19 global pandemic on water, environment, and humans. Environmental Advances, 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2022.100328
• Flynn, T., Tuma, J., Fayle, T.M., Veselá, H., Frouz, J. (2023). Changes in soil chemical properties and their spatial distribution after logging and conversion to oil palm plantation in Sabah (Borneo). Journal of Tropical Ecology, 39(4). https://doi.org/10.1017/S026646742300024X
• Flynn, T., Wiese, L., Rozanov, A. (2022). Soil carbon stock assessment using depth and spatial models on afforested arable lands. South African Journal of Plant and Soil, 39(4), 235–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/02571862.2022.2079741
• Flynn, T., Rozanov, A., Ellis, F., de Clercq, W., Clarke, C. (2022). Farm-scale digital soil mapping of soil classes in South Africa. South African Journal of Plant and Soil, 39(3), 175–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/02571862.2022.2059115
• Flynn, T., Triantafilis, J., Rozanov, A., Ellis, F., Lázaro-López, A., Watson, A., Clarke, C. (2021). Numerical soil horizon classification from South Africa’s legacy database. Catena, 206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105543
• Flynn, T., de Clercq, W., Rozanov, A., Clarke, C. (2019). High-resolution digital soil mapping of multiple soil properties: an alternative to the traditional field survey? South African Journal of Plant and Soil, 36(4), 237–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/02571862.2019.1570566 · Best Paper award
• Flynn, T., van Zijl, G., van Tol, J., Botha, C., Rozanov, A., Warr, B., Clarke, C. (2019). Comparing algorithms to disaggregate complex soil polygons in contrasting environments. Geoderma, 352, 171–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.06.013
• Flynn, T., Rozanov, A., de Clercq, W., Warr, B., Clarke, C. (2019). Semi-automatic disaggregation of a national resource inventory into a farm-scale soil depth class map. Geoderma, 337, 1136–1145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.11.003

Preprints

• Flynn, T., Rozanov, A., Mesele, S. (2026). Integrated soil profile mapping reveals regional patterns of soil condition across Southern African agricultural lands. EarthArXiv preprint; under review at Regional Environmental Change. https://doi.org/10.31223/X5JN5T
• Flynn, T. (2026). Soil-informed multivariate decision support to assess urban ecosystem service potential. Book chapter, Springer Nature (in press). EarthArXiv preprint. https://doi.org/10.31223/X50763
• Flynn, T. (2026). Thermodynamic pedodiversity patterns reveal higher-order soil organization in indigenous agroecosystems of the U.S. Southwest. EcoEvoRxiv preprint; under review at Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.32942/X2H66M

Recognition

• 2021 · Best Paper, South African Journal of Plant and Soil · “High-resolution digital soil mapping of multiple soil properties: an alternative to the traditional field survey?” (2019) read
• 2017–2020 · National Research Foundation (NRF) Innovation Doctoral Bursary, South Africa
• 2017 · Stellenbosch University Travel Grant, to build academic and industry partnerships in Zambia
• 2015 · Perold Medal, best undergraduate, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University
• 2015 · Soil Science Society of South Africa Silver Medal, best soil science student, Stellenbosch University
• 2015 · HORTGRO Science / Daan Strydom Prize, best horticultural science student, Stellenbosch University
• 2013–2019 · Stellenbosch University Merit Bursary, for an outstanding academic record

Media & outreach

• 2025 · ABC News · “Soil degradation threatens food supply and scientists are calling for action”: coverage of the Aroura Soil Security Think Tank and its Soil Security Declaration (Sydney, 2024). I served on the Aroura Secretariat during its launch and the first Global Soil Security Summit, and co-authored two of its publications (above). Read
• 2016 · Stellenbosch University News · “American student is SU’s top horticultural science student”. Read

Memberships & service

• International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS)
• Soil Science Society of South Africa (SSSSA)
• Guest Editor, Applied Sciences (MDPI) Special Issue “Soil Analysis in Different Ecosystems” (2025, 3 papers), with Prof. Pantelis E. Barouchas. Link
• Reviewer for Discover Applied Sciences, Discover Sustainability, Geoderma Regional, Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Mountain Science, Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Journal of Soils and Sediments, Land Degradation & Development, Pedosphere, Scientific Data, Scientific Reports, Soil Advances, South African Journal of Plant and Soil, Scientific African