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Philip Heron

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Assistant Professor, Environmental Geophysics, University of Toronto

I am an Assistant Professor of Environmental Geophysics at University of Toronto Scarborough, with a PhD in Geophysics from the University of Toronto.

I've been using high performance computing for over a decade to understand the workings of Earth’s crust and mantle across various scales - contributing to the field of supercontinent formation and dispersal through large-scale mantle convection, through to understanding triggers in volcanic eruption from small-scale magma flow. Recently, I've been studying the mantle lithosphere - the main component part of a tectonic plate - as well as the inner workings of the deep mantle over time.

Prior to my PhD in Toronto, I worked for two years as an educator in Paris (France) teaching English to business people. Alongside teaching and supervising students, I also run a science education program in prison.

Experience

  • 2017–present
    Postdoctoral research fellow, Durham University
  • 2014–2016
    Postdoctoral fellow, University of Toronto

Education

  • 2014 
    University of Toronto, PhD in Geophysics
  • 2006 
    University of Leeds, Master of Geophysics (International)

Publications

  • 2019
    What lies beneath: Thoughts on the lower mantle, Geoscientist
  • 2019
    Deformation driven by deep and distant structures: Influence of a mantle lithosphere suture in the Ouachita orogeny, Geology
  • 2018
    Mantle plumes and mantle dynamics in the Wilson Cycle, Geological Society Special Publication: Tectonic Evolution: 50 Years of the Wilson Cycle Concept
  • 2018
    Exploring the theory of plate tectonics: the role of mantle lithosphere structure, Geological Society Special Publication: Tectonic Evolution: 50 Years of the Wilson Cycle Concept
  • 2016
    Lasting mantle scars lead to perennial plate tectonics, Nature Communications
  • 2016
    Inherited structure and coupled crust-mantle lithosphere evolution: Numerical models of Central Australia, Geophysical Research Letters
  • 2015
    Influences on the position of large igneous provinces following supercontinent formation, Journal of Geophysical Research
  • 2015
    Intraplate orogenesis within accreted and scarred lithosphere: Example of the Eurekan Orogeny, Ellesmere Island, Tectonophysics
  • 2014
    The impact of Rayleigh number on assessing the influence of supercontinent insulation, Journal of Geophysical Research
  • 2011
    The role of supercontinent thermal insulation and area in the formation of mantle plumes, Tectonophysics
  • 2010
    The influence of continental thermal properties on mantle flow, Geophysical Research Letters
  • 2007
    Effect of regional tectonic setting on local fault response to episodes of volcanic activity, Geophysical Research Letters

Grants and Contracts

  • 2018
    TEROPPLATE
    Role:
    Lead
    Funding Source:
    Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (Proposal number: 749664)

Professional Memberships

  • American Geophysical Union