I am a field-based physical volcanologist interested in all aspects of volcanic processes. In particular, I am interested in:

• how are volcanic products erupted, transported and deposited?
• what happens to those deposits?
• what happens to the volcano?
• what happens to the surrounding landscape and environment?
• why was there volcanism in the first-place?
• how is the volcanic landscape influenced by tectonics?

I have come to EOS-UBC to work with Prof. Kelly Russell and his Volcanology Lab (VPL website) on a range of volcanology questions including the evolution of Neogene bassaltic volcanism in central British Columbia, and kimberlite volcanology at the Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territory.

I completed my PhD thesis in 2006 at the University of Leicester, UK, under the guidance of Dr. Mike Branney, where I studied the emplacement of an extremely high-grade, rheomorphic ignimbrite; the Grey's Landing ignimbrite, in the Rogerson Formation of the Yellowstone-Snake River Plain volcanic province, Idaho. Previously, I graduated with a Masters in Geology (MGeol) in 2000, also from the University of Leicester (www.le.ac.uk/geology).

Teaching and Supervision

I am engaged in supervision and mentoring of several graduate students investigating kimberlites, basalts, and welded pyroclastic deposits at UBC. Recently I have assisted Prof. Russell in teaching undergraduate (300-level) volcanology, and was invited to lecture in physical volcanology with Dr. Glyn Williams Jones (Simon Fraser); in addition I have organized and helped lead volcanological fieldwork-based courses for undergraduates, foreign graduate students, and industry proffesionals. As a graduate student I assistted with laboratory and fieldwork-based undergraduate teaching at 100, 200, and 300-levels in fieldwork-methods and mapping, volcanology, structural geology, stratigraphy, tectonics, sedimentology, and geochemistry.

Affiliations

I am presently the convenor of the Vancouver Volcanic Studies Group (VVSG) a monthly discussion group including participants from UBC, SFU, Western Washington University, and the Geological Survey of Canada; for more information email me or go to www.volcanoes.ca. We meet at 6PM on the first Monday of each month at SFU Harbour Centre in Downtown Vancouver, however, our April meeting will be the first held at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.

I am also an active member of AGU, GSA, and IAVCEI; and was until recently a member of the Volcanic Magmatic Studies Group (UK) and the Tectonic Studies Group (UK) where I was the graduate student committee representative.