Research into the sedimentary and tectonic evolution of active and collisional plate margins form the focus of my research efforts. Current fields of specific interest include land-ocean interactions in the marginal seas of Asia, especially the Arabian Sea and the South China Sea. I am also working on associated syn-orogenic sedimentation in the Himalaya and am developing single grain geochemical techniques to link clastic provenance studies with thermochronologic methods in order to reconstruct orogenic erosion histories. Reconstruction of Asian monsoon intensity over millennial and million year time scales is an important objective with the goal of understand its influence on orogenic erosion. The role that erosion and weathering have in controlling long term development of global climate and how south and SE Asia have influenced the climate system is a particular topic of interest.
I am further interested in the role than erosion plays in controlling the thickness and volume of the continental crust and how excess crustal material is returned to the upper mantle via fluvial transport and subsequent mass recycling into subduction zones.
Most recently I have developed interests in understanding environmental change driven by climate change in Asia since the Last Glacial Maximum and the potential impacts on early human societies.
Interests and Current Projects
Education
Ph.D., University of Edinburgh, UK, 1991. "Mesozoic/Cenozoic sedimentation and tectonics of the southern Greek Neotethys (Argolis Peninsula)."
D.Sc. University of Oxford , Earth Sciences, 2014
M.A., University of Oxford , Geology, 1993.
B.A., University of Oxford , 1987. First class honours in Geology. Awarded Worcester College
Professional History
2004-2012 Kilgour Professor of Geology, University of Aberdeen, UK
1998-Present Research Affiliate, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
2005-Present Visiting professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Sea Institute for Oceanology, Guangzhou, China
2004-Present Visiting Scientist, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
2005-2007 Humboldt visiting professor, Universität Bremen, Germany
1999-2004 Associate Scientist, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
1995-1999 Assistant Scientist, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
1993-1995 Staff Scientist, Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A&M University, USA
1990-1993 Royal Society of Edinburgh / BP Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Edinburgh, UK
Honours and Awards
2019-2021, Visiting Research Professor, University of Hong Kong
2019-Present, Visiting faculty, Jackson School of Geoscience, University of Texas at Austin
2018-2021, Visiting professor, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
2017, Best oral presentation. Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS), San Antonio
2016-2018, Hongguo Professorial Fellowship, Nanjing Normal University, China
2013-2014, OceanLeadership (IODP) Distinguished Lecturer
2009-2011, Fellow, Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg, Germany
2008, ECORD (IODP) Distinguished Lecturer
2008, Fellow, Geological Society of America
2005, Appointed as visiting professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou
2005, Murchison Fund, Geological Society of London, UK
2005–2007, Humboldt Foundation Fellow, Universität Bremen, Germany
2004, Invited visiting lecturer, University of Tokyo, Japan
2003, Invited visiting lecturer, National Central University and Academica Sinica, Taiwan
2001, Swiney Trust invited visiting lecturer, University of Edinburgh, UK
1987, Worcester College, University of Oxford, Prize for Excellence
External Service
Editor in Chief, Geological Magazine (2017-Present)
Associate Editor, Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 2020-Present
External Examiner, University of Derby, UK, 2020-2023
Panel Member, US Advisory Committee on Scientific Ocean Drilling (USAC), 2019-Present
Editorial Board, Sedimentology Editor, Journal of the Geological Society, London, 2016-2019.
Chair of the Geological Society of America, South Central Section, 2015-2016
Chair of the Geological Society of America, Penrose Meeting Committee, 2012-2014
Editorial Board, International Geological Review, 2013-Present
Editorial Board, Lithosphere, 2014-2016
Co-leader of IGCP 581 Project “Evolution of Asian River Systems”, 2009-Present.
Editorial board, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Himalayan Geology
Co-Chief Editor, Marine Geophysical Researches , 2001-2010
Associate Editor, Geology,1998-2000, and 2003-2006
Co-leader of IGCP Project 476 “Impact of Asian Cenozoic tectonic on monsoon evolution and global cooling", 2003-2007
Panel member, Ocean Drilling Program JOIDES ISSEP panel, 2000-2003
Professional Service
Reviewer for Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
GSA Penrose Conferences and Field Forums Committee, 2011-Present
Scientific Steering Committee for the Energy, Environment and Climate Directorate of the Deep Carbon Observatory, 2011-2013.
Member of NERC proposal review college 2005–2008, and 2009-Present.
Committee member, IODP Proposal evaluation panel, 2013-Present
Committee member, IODP site survey panel, 2010-2012.
