My background is in Geology, with a first degree from the University of Edinburgh and PhD from the University of Bristol. My real passion within geology is Volcanology.

My PhD looked at several aspects of the degassing process associated with silicic volcanoes and I followed that with postdoctoral positions at Bristol, Berkeley and Geneva working on petrology applied to volcanic eruptions.  During that time (1996-1999)  I also had several periods as a duty scientist at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, during the early stages of the eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano.

Those experiences on Montserrat and elsewhere convinced me of the need for a truly inter-disciplinary approach in order to properly understand volcanic eruptions and mitigate their impact. My appointment at UEA in 1999, provided an opportunity to work with an amazing diversity of researchers at UEA that go beyond the usual realms of geology. 

I enjoy collaborations at UEA and worldwide with sedimentologists, atmospheric scientists, geophysicists, social  and development scientists and colleagues from the humanities on a  variety of different problems relating to volcanic phenomena and their social and environmental impacts.

I keep a blog that looks at the way hazards and scientists in general and volcanoes in particular appear in other walks of life. It can be found here: VolcanoJenni

I also have a twitter account @VolcanoJenni; all views are my own not those of the university.

PhD Positions

Click here for current PhD opportunities in the School of Environmental Sciences. However, feel free to email me to discuss projects outside these areas and alternative sources of funding.

Volcanologist interested in all aspects of disaster risk reduction in volcanic settings.

This currently  includes research on the following topics, primarily working in the Caribbean and South America:

(1) equitable access to and sharing of hazard knowledge;

(2) volcanic processes and their monitoring

(3) cultural and social responses to volcanic activity and their role in growing resilience

(4) citizen science and

(5) volcanoes and their multihazard environment.

I am currently working on an APEX Award to understand how we make sense of uncertain situations during volcanic eruptions. Some of the curated data from this and an AHRC Follow-on Award ccan be found on Mountain A Glow.

Recently I have had several UKRI GCRF Awards looking at disaster risk and sustainable development through the lenses of historical volcanic eruptions and hazards, citizen science and improving resilience to multiple natural hazards in urban environments.  I am currently working on the GCRF Hub Tomorrow's Cities and the outputs from these projects can be found in my publications.

I also am a strong exponent of outreach and community engagement wherever I work.
 
 
I was also recently the Principle Investigator for two projects in these areas: (i) the ESRC-NERC funded ‘Strengthening Resilience to Volcanic Hazards’ STREVA Project (2012-2019) and a  Leverhulme Funded Project focussed on understanding volcanism on Ascension Islands:

I have a variety of talented research students working on petrology applied to volcanic eruptions, volcanic monitoring and hazardous flows. I am always interested to hear from people who would like to study for a  PhD.

Publications: EPrints Digital Repository

Volcanology; volcanic degassing behaviour; experimental petrology; Montserrat eruption.; volcanic risk reduction

• I teach on:

• ENV4005A Dynamic Planet
• ENV 5018A Global Tectonics
• ENV 5030B Earth Science Skills
• ENV 3A57K Geosciences Fieldcourse to Greece