Ed McGowan

I am a PhD student at the University of Leicester, studying ancient caldera-forming eruptions in the English Lake District. This work aims to learn more about these catastrophic events to be able to know more about other caldera volcanoes across the globe. I also research how geological features, especially volcanoes, are portrayed within popular video games and design ways to use them as an educational tool.

I did a four-year intergraded masters degree (MGeol) in Geology at the University of Leicester. While I originally chose to do a degree in geology to focus on volcanoes, I soon became fascinated by the sedimentology modules I was taking. From this I decided to focus my interests in volcaniclastics (volcanic sediments). This is when I began to research the volcanism of the Lake District through my MGeol research project, where I used geochemical analysis to establish correlations between ignimbrite units from Langdale caldera. After graduating I took some time out to work in industry before returning to university for my PhD.