About Us

Brief biographies of members of Council 2012/2013

Natalyn Ala

I am dedicated to developing geoscience students and professionals through chartership and beyond, and believe that the more challenging the problem, the greater the capacity for learning. I believe the Geological Society, in collaboration with other international institutions, can play an important role in ensuring the environmentally sustainable use of water and energy resources.

I am a Director at Atkins and a practising contaminant hydrogeologist with over 20 years’ international experience. I have a BS in Engineering Geology and an MS in Hydrogeology from Texas A&M University. I became a Chartered Geologist in 2000 and am also a Chartered Scientist and a Professional Geologist in California. I serve as a scrutineer for the Society, a member of the Society’s degree Accreditation Panel, and am active in other professional organisations. I have provided training courses, lectures and presentations/publications for international conferences and technical journals in groundwater risk assessment and modelling.

My professional and business experience will provide valuable support to the Council. I will focus my efforts on promoting the Society’s collaboration and interaction with international organisations, expanding the Society’s influence and technical participation in the contaminated land and hydrogeology professions, and continuing to support the development of geoscience professionals.

Mike Armitage

I am currently Chairman of SRK Consulting and, after a spell as a mine geologist, have spent the last 20 years working as a consulting geologist reviewing and working on exploration and mining projects throughout the world. I completed my degree at the University of Cardiff and my PhD at the University of Bristol and am a Chartered Engineer as well as a Chartered Geologist. I have written several papers on resource estimation methodology and have helped develop several international resource reporting codes. For many years I was joint course co-ordinator of an MSc at Cardiff and until last year was the external examiner for an MSc at Imperial College.

I have been a fellow of the Geological Society since 1993, was one of the founding members of the Southern Wales Regional Group and acted as Chairman of this in its formative years. I have acted as scrutineer of chartership candidates for many years.

I believe the Geological Society to be the most active, relevant and appropriate professional body for all UK trained and/or based geologists in the minerals sector and would like to use my industry, management and academic experience to help attract more geologists into the society and to ensure this continues to represent, encourage and support geologists active in all spheres (academic, and industrial). I would also like to help improve the knowledge of the Society within schools and encourage and aid the teaching of geology at this level generally.

Samme Brough

I am a young Geoscientist working in the oil and gas exploration and production sector, and hold a BSc. (Hons) in Environmental Earth Science from the University of East Anglia (2007). Since first becoming involved with the Geological Society, and joining the Education committee in 2009, I have gained valuable insight into the Geological Society operations, and its desire to embrace new developments and promote our passion to the wider scientific community.

These objectives reflect my own efforts to promote the geosciences to younger generations, and the wider society. I have been an active Geoscience Ambassador for several years through my voluntary involvement in STEMNET’s (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Network) Science Ambassadors scheme. This nationwide scheme relies on its inspiring role models to promote these core subject areas to, and inspire, students of all ages in schools and higher education. In 2009 my commitment was acknowledged with an award for being the “Most Dedicated Ambassador”.

My experiences as a Geoscience Ambassador have highlighted to me the importance of both encouraging and supporting young geoscientists within the Geological Society, and a necessity to build a positive profile into the wider community, where the geosciences are under-appreciated.

As a member of Council, I am privileged to represent young and early career Geoscientists within the Society. I hope that my existing role as an Ambassador for Geosciences, and the Society, will inform and inspire younger generations outside of this learned community.

Rob Butler

After graduating in 1981 from Leeds and completing a PhD in Swansea in 1984, my career has taken me through Durham, the OU and back to Leeds. In 2008 I took up a chair in Tectonics at the University of Aberdeen to establish stronger collaborative links especially between university and industry-based structural geologists.

Although my best-known research is from the Western Alps and Scottish Highlands, I have worked extensively in Italy, where I have held various honorary positions, the Middle East, Pakistan and currently New Zealand, This has focused on studying the deformation of continental lithosphere, especially the structure of thrust belts. Much of my current research is directed at understanding the structural geology of submarine slopes, from shear fabrics developed in the sea bed beneath turbidity currents right up to the evolution of deepwater fold and thrust belts.

Since 1980 I have been Junior Associate, then Fellow of the Society and have been honoured with a President’s Award (1986) and the Wollaston Fund (1995). I currently serve on the Awards Committee and have acted as chair of the Tectonic Studies Group (1995-6). I am Director of the Virtual Seismic Atlas – an open-access community internet resource that, while sharing the geological interpretation of seismic data, showcases remarkable subsurface imagery. I also hold memberships of the American Geophysical Union, Geological Society of America, Geological Society of New Zealand and the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain.

I am a passionate advocate of core geoscience skills – especially of excellent field training. I believe it is important to promote the major advances in our science both for their own sake and for their societal relevance. Funding councils and university managements should be encouraged to value more these sustaining activities. The UK is blessed with excellent links between industry and academia that should be fostered: there remains much that we can learn from each other. I look forward to a Society that is increasingly inclusive and outward-looking.

Neil Chapman

The Society is increasingly responsive to the critical importance of national and global energy policy and the associated environmental and nuclear power issues. I believe that I can help further these aspects of our activities. I have been principally involved in researching and developing the concept of geological disposal of radioactive wastes since the 1970s, acting as adviser to national and international agencies and governments worldwide. I am currently a partner at MCM Consulting in Switzerland, Vice President of the Arius Association for regional and international underground storage, and part-time Research Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield. I served as Chairman of the ITC School of Underground Waste Storage and Disposal for 8 years. My previous career included 13 years at BGS (latterly, managing the Fluid Processes Research Group) and consultancy work, including 10 years managing Quantisci’s Geoscience Group in the UK. I have been a Fellow of the Society since the 1970s and was among the first Chartered Geologists, also serving on the Council of the Institution of Geologists. In 1990 the Society awarded me the William Smith Fund and in 2010 the Institution of Civil Engineers awarded me the James Watt Medal.

David Cragg

I am an Associate Director with URS / Scott Wilson Ltd working in the fields of engineering geology, geotechnics and the remediation of contaminated land and groundwater. I hold the degrees of BSc [Hons] Physical Geography and Geology [Liverpool, 1978], MSc Engineering Geology [Leeds, 1979] and MSc Contaminated Land Management [Nottingham Trent, 2001]. A Fellow of the Society since 1979, I became a Corporate Member of the Institution of Geologists in 1987. With the unification of IG and the Society I became a Chartered Geologist in 1990. I am also a Chartered Engineer with IMMM and a Specialist in Land Condition with IEMA. I have been a scrutineer of applications for chartered status since 2000 and I am currently a member of the Society’s Chartership Committee.

The majority of our professional work goes on unnoticed by the general public and many geologists are given to lamenting our perceived lack of professional status in the wider world. This is not helped by the way in which, while adverse global events and natural disasters such as volcanic ash clouds, tsunamis and earthquakes merit explanations in the media by eminent geologists, the benefits of the application of professional geological expertise to the challenges of, for example, civil engineering, security of energy supply, renewable energy, waste disposal and environmental regulation are only rarely promoted to society at large. We need to change public perception.

I would like to help to promote the role of the members of the Society, in academia and industry, in benefitting society at large and to help to promote the value of an education in geology both for its own sake and for the crucial contribution that our professionals can make in addressing the issues of the day and into the future. I believe the Society needs to coax and cajole the UK’s university-based academics to become Fellows in far larger numbers; and to promote to them as well as to industrial practitioners the benefits of becoming Chartered Geologists. The Society also needs to consider what professional attributes are likely to be required of practicing geologists in future and to promote itself as the main forum for developing the necessary academic and professional excellence. These are the issues I would like to focus upon as a member of Council.

Jane Francis

I am Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Leeds and currently Dean of the Faculty of Environment. I have a BSc in Geology and PhD in Geology/Biology from the University of Southampton, held a NERC postdoc Fellowship at the University of London and was a postdoc Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide in Australia for five years. I have also worked for the British Antarctic Survey. My current research focuses on ancient environments of the polar regions, particularly using fossil plants as indicators of past climates. I have been awarded the Polar Medal for my contribution to polar research and have given public lectures about my polar work in the Geological Society Shell lecture series. I am also currently a member of NERC’s Science Innovation and Strategy Board (SISB), President of the Palaeontological Association and represent Antarctic science on various committees.

In the challenging times ahead the Earth Science community will no doubt look to the Geological Society as its professional body to support and represent the discipline as geological activities are threatened. For example, vocational training in masters courses are no longer supported by NERC and cuts to university funding may make such specialised courses unsustainable. Only with the enhanced support from industry, both practically and financially, will the supply of well-trained graduates continue in future, and the Geological Society is well placed to help encourage such partnerships. In addition, much of Earth science research currently relies on responsive mode funding whereas research councils are now focusing on specific strategic priorities, which at present exclude many areas of Earth science. The Geological Society therefore has an even more important role to play these days in helping to ensure the health of the discipline in future

Alastair Fraser

I have had the good fortune to be actively involved with the Society since graduating from Edinburgh University and joining BP as a young Petroleum Geologist in 1977.

After over 30 years with BP as a Petroleum Geologist/Exploration Manager working in many of the world’s great petroleum basins, I have recently taken up the position of EGI Chair in Petroleum Geoscience at Imperial College in London. A natural progression, I believe, as throughout my industry career I have sought to build and maintain strong academic links. I have always found the Geological Society a place where I could reconnect with my geological routes and recharge the technical batteries through participation in the many excellent meetings and active membership of the Petroleum Group and Barbican Conference committees. I have long held the belief that a combination of best Industry practice and technology coupled with Academic science and innovation is the most effective way to efficiently find and produce oil and gas. The Society has been an excellent vehicle for promoting this collaborative relationship and I will be looking for new ways to reinforce this fundamental role for the Society in the future.

Our science has never been more relevant to society, particularly in the energy sector, where an insatiable global demand for energy, is seriously challenging our ability as Geoscientists to find and produce new resources and provide longer term, sustainable solutions. One of my great passions is analysing the potential of the Arctic as probably the last conventional Oil & Gas province on the planet. How do we access the undoubtedly vast resources but in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable manner? In the tradition of the great Society debates of the past, I will be actively looking for ways to progress what promises to be a lively debate over the next few years.

A key motivation in moving to Imperial College was to help encourage, develop and train a new generation of Geoscience professionals who will play a major role in delivering the world’s future energy needs. One of my main objectives as a member of Council will be to actively champion greater student involvement in the Society and its meetings and in doing so, hopefully inspire new students towards a future career in geology.

Sally Gibson

I have been a Fellow of the Geological Society of London for 25 years and served on the editorial board of the Journal of the Geological Society of London for 8 years. I have also been a member of the Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group Committee. I am currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge, following postdoctoral research at the University of Durham, PhD research at Kingston Polytechnic and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Sheffield. My main research interests are concerned with the physical and chemical processes that are involved in the generation of melts within the Earth’s mantle. This has involved research and collaboration with scientists on almost all of the world’s continents and has resulted in over 50 publications. In addition to my academic research and teaching I am also involved in outreach activities.

Tricia Henton

I have been a Chartered Geologist since 1990 having served on the Hydrogeological Committee of the Geological Society and on the Council of the Institution of Geologists from 1975 to the early 1980s. I also helped establish the regional group in east of Scotland.

Until the end of 2010 I was Director of Environment and Business at the Environment Agency but continue to be involved in environmental and geological matters through my non- executive position on the Coal Authority and as a Trustee of environmental charities.. I have spent most of my professional life in environmental management, initially in technical roles as a hydrogeologist working on mine water rebound, waste management and landfills before moving into senior management. I spent 13 years with Aspinwall & Co building their consultancy business in Scotland through the 1980’s and 1990’s before joining the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as the Environmental Strategy and then Chief Executive. I returned briefly to consultancy with Enviros before joining the EA.

I bring to the Council an extensive senior level record in strategic thinking; knowledge and experience of how Government and the private sector work; wide trustee experience in professional bodies (including GSL and IG) and NGOs; over three decades of environmental management, much of it addressing geological issues, all allied with a passionate belief that geological science matters.

I believe there is a need to promote the relevance of geological science and the crucial contribution geologists will make to solving the big challenges that face society. In doing this, the role and standing of the professional geologist in whatever organisation they operate is extremely important. I am committed to promoting the importance of the public being able to rely on competent, professional standards. 

Richard Hughes

I graduated from the University of Wales (Cardiff) in 1980 and was awarded a PhD by the University of Cambridge in 1984. I have been a Chartered Geologist since 1998, and am a member of the Society’s Information Management Committee. I have over twenty years of varied professional geoscience experience in the UK and internationally, including the developing world. I am a member of the British Geological Survey Board and Senior Leadership Team. In my current role as BGS Director of Information and Knowledge Exchange I oversee the National Geoscience Data Centre, information management, the creation of national digital data-sets, websites, press, outreach, libraries and the delivery of a wide range of information services that serve all sectors of our diverse user community.

There is a pressing need for a much higher level of public understanding of the societal relevance of geoscience in order to inform debate on critical environmental and resource challenges from local to global scales. Raising the visibility of geoscience is also key to ensuring a continued flow of high calibre geoscience graduates to serve the needs of all sectors of the geoscience community, and to underpin the future success of the Society. I think it is particularly important for the Society to look at how it can reach out to the next generation of geoscientists and become more relevant to their needs. To achieve this goal it will need to consider new approaches including, for example, more web-based collaboration and networking. In standing for election to Council I am especially motivated to contribute to the realisation of these goals.

David Jones

I am a young hydrogeologist, working towards Chartership. I hold a BSc (Hons) in Geology (2004) and MSc in Hydrogeology (2007), both from Cardiff University.

Since joining Professional Committee in 2011 I have seen the good work being done at the Society to encourage Fellows to work towards and achieve Chartered status. I’m passionate about wanting our Fellows to achieve Chartership and I will work to ensure the Society has the tools in place to provide applicants with the mentoring and guidance needed to reach that goal.

As the current Chair of the Southern Wales Regional Group, I also want to support the regions in their endeavours. Our regional groups provide a close link to the wider Fellowship and are the breeding ground for many excellent events such as the School Geology Challenge and Early Career Geologist Award. These events provide encouragement and support to our younger members, and show them that they hold a valued place within the Society.

Alongside my work with the regional group I have also been a STEMNET (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Network) ambassador since 2009, promoting the benefits of the geosciences in schools and at careers events across south Wales. I want to continue this work within Council and see us capturing the imagination of our Fellows and the wider public about the contribution geoscientists can make in understanding and addressing the environmental challenges facing us all.

Adam Law

I have been an active member of the geoscience community since an undergraduate at University College London. I completed my PhD at Cambridge in 1993 and then worked within the oil and gas industry, holding a variety of positions within British Gas plc and Amerada Hess Ltd.

I became a Principal of ERC Equipoise Ltd in 2003.

Throughout my industrial career, I have continued to foster a keen interest in geology as a whole. I have published a number of papers reviewing aspects of geology and geophysics within the oil and gas sector, and have also helped organise a number of conferences through the Society’s Petroleum Group. Latterly, I have been a member of Council, and was recently appointed to the position of Treasurer. I am looking forward to serving the Society over the coming years as Treasurer, ensuring that our funds are used to best further the objectives of our Society, and our science.

Richard Lisle

I am a structural geologist, trained at Birmingham (BSc 1969; DSc 2006) and Imperial College (MSc 1970; PhD 1974), and with a career in lecturing and research at the universities in Leiden, Utrecht and Wales (Swansea). I am currently Professor of Structural Geology at Cardiff University.

My teaching has been focussed on training in basic geological skills; interpreting and making of geological maps, fieldwork, structural geology and engineering geology. This has led to publication of textbooks; Geological Structures and Maps, Stereographic Projection Techniques in Structural Geology and Basic Geological Mapping (in prep). Regardless of new priority directions in research, I believe it is important not to neglect these fundamental skills in undergraduate earth science curricula. A major challenge will be the continued provision of real fieldwork training given the current financial constraints.

My research includes the development of innovative techniques in structural analysis which have found application to hydrocarbon reservoirs. I am the author of over 100 research publications and textbooks including Geological Strain Analysis and Techniques of Modern Structural Geology (with J.G. Ramsay FRS) and received, jointly with S. H. Treagus, the Best Paper Award of the Geological Society of America (1999).

I have served as Chair of the Tectonics Studies Group and as a past editor of the Journal of Structural Geology where my services were acknowledged by Top Reviewer Award in 2007 and 2008.

Alan Lord

BSc Geology, Hull 1964; PhD Micropalaeontology, Hull 1968. FGS 1964. Academic posts at University of East Anglia, Aarhus Universitet, University of Wales Aberystwyth, and University College London. At UCL: Professor of Micropalaeontology, Dean of Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Pro-Provost – 33 years and 33 successful research students. Present affiliation: Sektion Mikropalaeontologie I, Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.

Research interests: post-Palaeozoic micropalaeontology, stratigraphy, environmental change. Current research: Holocene ostracods and climate change in the Skaggarak and Portugal; Neogene biostratigraphy and Neotectonics of central Cyprus.

Scientific service: past Chair, Micropalaeontological Society, past Chair International Research Group on Ostracoda, past Vice President Geologists’ Association, and Council service for Geological Society of London, Palaeontological Association, etc. Long-term association with Hydrocarbon Industry via UCL Micropalaeontology MSc programme, research projects and funding.

Geological Society of London - Council 2008; Secretary, Foreign & External Affairs 2010.

Paul Maliphant

My career has encompassed coal mining (1985-1993), local authority services (1993-1996) and consultancy (1996 to date) and I am now Associate Director (Engineering Geology) and Market Sector Director with Halcrow Group Ltd serving on the management team of its business in Highways and Transportation, UK & Europe. My qualifications include BSc (Hons) (Edinburgh/Bristol, 1985), CGeol (1992), MSc (Cardiff, 1995 (distinction)), EurGeol (1995). Society experience includes:

• Founder Honorary Secretary (1992-1993), chairman (1994-1996 and 2007 to date) and committee member (1996 – 1999) of the Southern Wales Regional Group (which has chosen to create an annual Early Careers Geologist award in my name);
• Chairman of the meetings subcommittee of the Engineering Group (2004-2007) and committee member (2007 – 2008);
• Member of the Professional Services and Regional Groups committees (2007 to date); and
• Active chartership scrutineer.

My interests within the Society centre around the critical roles of the specialist and regional groups in developing the professional (rather than academic) side of the society supporting geologists working in commercial practice; the societal value and professional status of geologists; the enhancement of links with other professional bodies; and a long standing interest in supporting geologists in the formative years of their careers. I would bring to the Council significant experience of Society matters at regional and specialist group level combined with extensive managerial and commercial geology experience harnessed to a desire to implement and effectively manage change, where appropriate and required, for the betterment of the Society and the geological profession.

Brian Marker OBE

Brian Marker was born in Walthamstow, London in 1946. He was awarded a BSc in 1968 and PhD for research on sedimentology and palaeoecology of some Middle Jurassic limestones in 1972, both at Chelsea College, University of London. Following a research fellowship at the then City of London Polytechnic, he joined the Department of the Environment in 1975, as an environmental geologist, working there until after it became the and later the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on legislation, guidance, planning casework and managing research programmes on planning for minerals supply, marine aggregates, reduction of natural hazards and management of wastes. During that period he also served on various NERC Committees, the Board of the BGS from1990 to 2006 and was the Secretary of the IAEG Commission on Engineering Geological Mapping and an officer of the IUGS Commission for Geoscience in Environmental Planning, leading its urban geology activity. He also taught adult evening classes in geology for the University of London for 17 years. He has served on Chartered Geologist accreditation and appeals panels. Since retiring in from the Civil Service in 2006, he has worked as an independent geological consultant and has chaired the CBI UK Minerals Forum and the English Stone Forum. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Secretary General of the IUGS Commission on Geoscience for Environmental Management and co-convener of its working group on dust from geological sources. He is the author of over 60 papers and reviews, and joint editor of 4 books, including 2 in the Society’s Special Publications series. He is a Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He received the Distinguished Service Award of Geological Society in 2004 and an OBE in 2006.

Susan Marriott

I am a sedimentologist working mainly on alluvial sediments and soils in ancient and modern environments. I studied geology courses part-time with the Open University before undertaking a BSc (Hons) in Geology at the University of Bristol, followed by a doctorate in Sedimentology from the University of Reading (Postgraduate Research Institute for Sedimentology). I have published research on alluvial architecture, palaeosols and environmental change. My employment experience is in academia at Keele University and the University of the West of England, Bristol, where I am continuing to develop courses in geology as part of environmental management, geography and engineering degrees and CPD courses for industry partners. I hold editorial positions on two international journals in sedimentology and I am the book series editor for the Geologists’ Association. I have been a Fellow of the Geological Society and Chartered Geologist for eight years, recently taking on a role as mentor for women in geology. I am engaged in outreach activities with local schools and RIGS group. The Geological Society has a major role to play in communicating geoscience at all levels and in forging and maintaining strong links between policy makers, industry and academia. I believe that this is particularly important in relation to response to environmental change and sustainable use of natural resources. As a member of Council my teaching and learning and communications skills will support the range of the Society’s activities, bringing the importance of the study of geoscience to as wide an audience as possible.

Gary Nichols

The Geological Society has been a part of my career as a geoscientist since I joined as an undergraduate student in 1978. My direct involvement has been through the Journal as an editor and as a member of the Specialist Groups Committee as Secretary of BSRG. The Society has been a venue for research conferences I have attended, including one I co-convened, and I value the Burlington House Library. The Society forms a link between my research interests, through conferences and specialist groups, my publishing activities (I am Special Publications co-editor for SEPM), educational outreach work, in relation to which I am Governor of an FE College, international geoscience teaching through MSc programmes by Distance Learning I have led, industry-based training (I co-ordinate postgraduate programmes based on industry courses) and other aspects of the research-industry interface through my role as Chair of the Board of Directors of CASP. With these diverse geoscience interests, and my position as Senior Lecturer in Sedimentology at Royal Holloway (which I have held for over 20 years with interludes seconded to BAS and 2 years as professor at UNIS in Svalbard) I believe I can make a well-informed contribution to the work of the Society.

David Shilston

I am Technical Director for Engineering Geology at Atkins, a major employer of geologists and geoscientists, and have more than 30 years of UK and international geo-consultancy, managerial and contracting experience to the role of President-designate. I am a Chartered Geologist and have a BSc in geology (Nottingham University), an MSc in engineering geology (Imperial College), and a Post-graduate Certificate in archaeology (Cambridge University).

My particular geological interests lie not only in the professional engineering geology and applied geohazards work that I do at Atkins, but also in the wide range of pure and applied subjects that together comprise geology - from geomorphology to tectonics, and from geological materials to palaeoecology. Outside work, I have given lectures to MSc and undergraduate courses, made presentations at conferences and technical meetings, and participate in careers days at local schools. Geology and the geosciences are fascinating subjects – I endeavour to pass my fascination on to others, both at work and play.

My involvement with the Geological Society commenced with service as a member of the Engineering Group Committee (where I chaired the Meetings Sub-committee) and on the former Fellowship & Validation Committee. I was elected to Council in 2004 and subsequently became Professional Secretary. The recently-introduced changes to the Chartership process and arrangements were developed and agreed with Council during my time as Professional Secretary. I have also been an active scrutineer of chartership candidates and member of the Chartership Committee and Accreditation Panel.

In seeking election as President-designate, I gave my general objectives as:

1. to help ensure that the various academic and industrial/ business ‘constituencies’ within the Society continue to move closer together to mutual benefit;
2. to broaden the reach of Chartership within the Society into sectors and disciplines where it does not yet have a strong presence;
3. to develop further the Society’s outward facing and outreach activities (to the general public, students, teachers, government, industry and fellow learned and professional institutions); and
4. to help the Society and its Council plan and manage its affairs in a period of rapid economic change, that will touch us all, from academe to industry and from seasoned practitioner to undergraduate.

Colin Summerhayes

The Society needs to continue bridging gaps between the disciplines, and building links with sister organisations abroad. I would help Council to ensure that its international and interdisciplinary partnerships were as effective as they need to be in this new age, and that our policy makers do not forget the geological dimension to climate change. To that end I can bring skills in major international project management and in the provision of scientific advice to policy makers developed while working for 7 years as a UNESCO project Director, and for 6 years as Executive Director of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) of the International Council for Science. For SCAR I provided annual scientific advice to the Parties to the Antarctic Treaty, based on all aspects of Antarctic and the Southern Ocean science. In November 2009 I published with colleagues ‘Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment’ – to inform the debates at the Copenhagen climate conference. I have also advised DTI, DEFRA, the Defence Research Agency, and the Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology, and was a member of the Government’s Technology Foresight Panel on the Marine Sector.

As geologists are the first to appreciate – everything is connected, and I take a holistic Earth System Science approach to scientific problem solving that enables me to work easily with scientists and engineers from a wide variety of backgrounds. Much of my work since leaving the oil business, where I worked as a petroleum geochemist for Exxon in the late 70s and as Stratigraphy Branch manager for BP Research in the early 80s, has involved marine geological and geochemical studies on the role of the oceans in climate change – past, present, and future. Given the Society’s growing interest in the geological perspective on climate change I would hope that my extensive marine scientific experience, for example as Director of the NERC’s Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Deacon Laboratory – now the core of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton - would add a new dimension to Council’s deliberations on climate change. As current President of the Society for Underwater Technology, a Chartered Marine Scientist, and a Fellow of the Institute for Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, I can see fertile ground for further collaboration between the marine science sector and the Society. My current role as Emeritus Associate at the Scott Polar Research Institute of Cambridge University offers additional links to the science of the polar regions.

My academic qualifications include a BSc in geology from University College London, a PhD in geochemistry from Imperial College, and MSc and DSc degrees in geology from Victoria University Wellington, NZ. I am a Chartered Geologist, a past member of Council (1995-1997), a former chair of the Marine Studies Group, and editor of Special Publications 21 and 64. I am Vice President with responsibility for the Development and Fundraising Committee.

John Tellam

I am a professor of hydrogeology at Birmingham University with about 30 years of research and teaching experience. My main research concerns the mobility of inorganic pollutants in groundwater, increasingly with an emphasis on particulate pollutants, especially viruses and manufactured nanoparticles. My teaching has covered a range of subjects, including hydrogeology, engineering geology, geophysics, and basic geological fieldwork. Through research, the Hydrogeology MSc Course at Birmingham, CPD courses, reviewing, and consultancy, I have strong links with water industry regulation, supply, and consultancy organizations. Amongst other academic and research roles, I have served as head of department at Birmingham Earth Sciences, on the steering group of the UK Groundwater Forum, on the editorial boards of international journals, in NERC and EPSRC review colleges, and as a specialist advisor in the recent higher education Research Assessment Exercise.

Jonathan P Turner

After completing my PhD at Bristol University in 1988, on the South Pyrenean thrust belt, I worked for Shell and latterly LASMO. I joined Birmingham University in 1993 where I carried out teaching and research in structural geology, basin dynamics and their applications to petroleum geology. My research has generated over forty papers focusing on rifted continental margins, especially the uplift and denudation of their continental interiors, and I am involved also in the development of innovative methods of interpreting seismic data. I have served as Secretary of the Tectonic Studies Group, have been a series editor for the GS special publications - working with the Publishing House to maintain the international reputation of our books - and am currently Secretary of the Publications Management Committee. Since 2009 I have worked for BG Group as a structural geologist in their Advanced Geoscience team. My role is much like that of an internal consultant, providing structural geological advice and services to the regional assets, and feeding information from the many research and development projects that BG sponsors.