Professor Steve Sparks is the Director of the Centre for Environmental and Geophysical Flows at Bristol University. He revolutionised the study of volcanoes, changing it from an essentially observational science to one where theories are tested by experiments before being put to use in real emergencies.

His team use ingredients and equipment you would find at home, but on a bigger scale, to model what happens in volcanic eruptions and lava flows. In 1995, the people of Montseratt were worried they would be overcome by avalanches of ash and gas like those which enveloped Pompeii. Steve was called in to advise the government which areas needed to be evacuated.