Research

Can you briefly describe your research area?
I study volcanoes. I work in exciting and spectacular parts of the world - such as the Andes, the Caribbean and Iceland I have a particular interest in understanding how volcanoes work (the physics of volcanoes) and so I often do laboratory experiments designed to help me understand volcanic flows.

What qualities do you think are needed to solve a scientific problem?
These vary. Some scientists are good observers; some may be careful experimenters; others may be good at mathematics and theory. Many modern scientific problems cannot be solved by one person. A lot of science these day requires teamwork, with people of different skills working together. Scientists require a systematic approach and some imagination. The best scientists often have a very broad knowledge and can think laterally - seeing in nature what others have missed.

What do you think is your most important scientific discovery or invention?
In general my work has advanced the knowledge in understanding how volcanoes work. I was involved in working out the basic reasons why volcanic explosions sometimes produce huge eruption columns, and at other times very hot flows along the ground ( which are called pyroclastic flows). More recently I have developed ideas that help to explain how to interpret the signals from a volcano in terms of the basic flow of molten rock up to the Earth's surface. A volcano is basically a place where molten rock flows to the Earth's surface. My research has pioneered a detailed understanding of the causes and consequences of volcanic eruptions.

What do you find most satisfying about your work?
I enjoy working in places of outstanding natural beauty - which is where volcanoes are often to be found. Seeing a volcanic eruption is one of the great spectacles of nature. I enjoy solving things we don't understand. So, getting a new insight into how a volcano behaves based on fundamental physical principles is a particular thrill. I do a lot of field work, and another satisfying aspect of the work is to work out what the geology of an area is telling you. Geology is like a great puzzle with only some clues left behind. Solving the puzzle is exciting. I enjoy working with young scientists, who are full of enthusiasm and ideas.

What do the different members of your team do?
I have a large team of research students and young research scientists, almost all of whom are doing work related to volcanoes. Some of them have been working with me on Montserrat, which started erupting in 1995. They make measurements of the lava and explosions to monitor the eruptions. One of my students is studying the very fine volcanic dust blown out by the volcano. There are worries about the effects of the dust on the islanders. Another student is carrying out experiments to determine the origin of the lava. She heats up lumps of rock to over 800C and subjects them to high pressures, where the rock becomes molten. She is finding out how the rock solidifies. I have students and colleagues in the team doing all kind of experiments. One student is finding out how sand flows when it is dropped from a height onto the floor! This sounds silly, and appears to have little to do with volcanoes, but when a large volcano has a huge landslide, the behaviour is similar to the flow of sand. If we can understand the sand we can better understand what happens when a volcano disintegrates into a large landslide. Another team member makes mathematical models of volcanoes on a computer.

In what ways do members of your team come up with new ideas?
Observations in the field often lead to new ideas, particularly when they don't make sense, or are in some way puzzling. This makes you think "why?" Experiments help. They don't always do what you expect them to do, and you need to find out why. A lot of science is hard work. Often you have to do lots of quite tedious measurements. New ideas of value only come if the experiments or measurements are done carefully and systematically.

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