John Grattan

John's research interests range from volcanism to archaeology. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, an expert member of the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network and Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Archaeological Science. He has conducted innovative research into the health impacts of volcanic gases and is currently investigating European mortality crises which followed the eruptions of the Laki Fissure (1783) and Tambora (1815). He is also a leading investigator of cultural responses to extreme events and rapid environmental change and has just published a book on this subject "Living under the Shadow". His volcanic research has been the subject of considerable media interest; he has participated in the BBC docudrama "supervolcano" and BBC TV's Timewatch strand recently dedicated an entire programme to his research, unfortunately entitled "Killer cloud"! These are frequently repeated somewhere on digital televison.

When away from volcanoes he is very interested in the appearance of industry in the ancient world, he feels that the emergence of the "factory" concept in the ancient world is an unacknowledged revolution in human thinking as profound as the invention of farming. In the next few years he will lead the excavation of one of the oldest known copper factory sites in the world, in the desert of southern Jordan.

The arid environment of Jordan has preserved the environmental legacy of ancient industrial activity and John has conducted extensive research into this problem. He has identified dangerous levels of metal contamination in th eexcavated bones of Roman miners and in the food and tents of modern Bedouin.