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Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford

I studied Geological Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and then completed a PhD in Volcanology, working on the Greek island volcano of Santorini, and in the East African Rift. After a Research Fellowship in Cambridge, including a year as a visiting researcher at the California Institute of Technology, I took up a lectureship in Earth Sciences in Cambridge in 1992. I moved to the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford in 2006. My research focusses on the behaviour and histories of young and active volcanoes. I have worked extensively on volcanoes in Latin America, Ethiopia, and the Caribbean; and have worked on the rapid-response to volcanic unrest and eruptions in a number of different settings.

I am passionate about public and community engagement. Amongst others, I am involved with Oxford Sparks (http://www.oxfordsparks.ox.ac.uk); was part of the team that created Volcanoes Top Trumps (http://www.volcanoestoptrumps.org), and am currently working on the scientific, political and cultural responses to volcanic crises (https://curatingcrises.omeka.net/).

Experience

  • 2008–present
    Professor of Earth Sciences , University of Oxford
  • 2006–2008
    Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Oxford
  • 1992–2006
    Lecturer in Earth Sciences , University of Cambridge

Education

  • 1990 
    University of Cambridge, PhD (Volcanology/Earth Sciences)