Key Information
Year:
2018Education Establishment:
University of PlymouthName of Chair Lead:
Professor Iain Stewart MBEThe role of this Chair is to support academics from earth sciences, psychology, education and the arts to undertake work in India, South America and other parts of the world, developing expertise in disaster risk reduction, geo-energy, resource management and environmental degradation.
It also looks to establish new research partnerships and links with professionals in the energy, mining and construction sectors, while enhancing geoscience awareness among communities and the general public.
Developing close working links with international agencies, national bodies (including the British Council, Foreign & Commonwealth Office and British Geological Survey), and in-country non-governmental organisations this Chair alos develops regional networks of excellence in ‘geo-communication’ through concerted training courses, workshops and online materials and initiate interdisciplinary research projects that integrate geoscience, social science and communication science.
About the Chair Lead
Iain Stewart is Professor of Geoscience Communication at the University of Plymouth, UK. His academic interests in applying Earth science to pressing societal concerns – geoscience and sustainable development, climate change, geo-resources, geo-energy, and disaster risk reduction – form the basis of his 2018 recognition as a UNESCO Chair Lead.
Iain’s academic roots are in active tectonics and geohazards. After completing a BSc in Geography and Geology at Strathclyde University (1986), and a PhD in earthquake geology at the University of Bristol (1990), he taught Earth sciences at Brunel University, west London, until 2002. In 2004, he joined the University of Plymouth, where he developed his interdisciplinary interests in ‘geo-communication’.
His geo-communication activities build on a 15-year partnership with BBC Science, making popular mainstream television documentaries about planet Earth. As well as general Earth science programmes showcasing how the planet works and what it means for those living on it, Iain has explored the geological aspects of his Scottish homeland. In addition, he has tackled controversial societal issues, notably climate change and energy.
Iain is a global advocate for the Earth Sciences, receiving an MBE for services to UK geoscience in the 2013 and recognised with awards from The Royal Geographical Society, the Geological Society of London, the American Geophysical Union, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the American Geosciences Institute, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the European Federation of Geologists and the Geological Society of America.
