Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES)

Profile

General

My interest in Volcanology and Geohazards stems from a childhood interest in volcanic processes, products and the impact of volcanic activity on human civilisation.

This interest led me to study for my undergraduate degree in Geology as the University of Dublin, Trinity College. Although I studied many aspects of Geology throughout my degree, I specialized in Volcanology in my final year where I completed my undergraduate thesis mapping and investigating the geochemical properties of lava flows near the Puy de Sancy in the Auvergne region of France and through work experience at the University of La Laguna, Tenerife.

I studied for my Masters degree in Geohard Management and Remediation at the University of Portsmouth where I investigated the physical properties of lava levees, the mechanics of the evolution and collapse.

Research

I started my PhD in 2009 funded by the Leverhulme Trust, studying the evolution of lava flow fields through a combination of analogue models, rock strength anaylsis and fieldwork. The project will investigate the mechanisms that control levee formation, evolution and collapse and overall flow field propagation. Analogue models will be used to try and simulate the conditions under which levees form, while rock strength analysis will investigate the conditions under which levees fail. The results of the combined analysis will be used to try and establish the conditions necessary for the formation and collapse of levees and forecast the likely location for these events during eruption.

Professional Record

• BSc (Hons) Geology - University of Dublin, Trinity College, 2001-2005
• Adrian Philips Research Fund, 2004
• MSc Geohazard Management and Remediation - University of Portsmouth, 2005-2006