After completing a PhD in signal processing I joined the oil industry for 2 years before becoming a lecturer in Geophysics in Royal Holloway's Department of Earth Sciences where I became Head of Department. My research interests involve computer modelling of geological processes from the motion of a grain of sand up to the climatic influences of the solar system's architecture. My recent research has been focussed on the question "Is the Earth Special?" and has led to publication of "Lucky Planet", a popular science book on the subject.