First year physical geography field trip to the Lake District. A chance to teach some field techniques. Perhaps more importantly, to inculcate some less obvious skills: note taking, group work, resilience in the face of adversity (rain, mainly)
I’ve never used AI for any part of my writing process and I don’t want to use it. I love writing. Yes, it’s work, and sometimes it’s incredibly hard work, but it’s MY work, and that’s the point. I don’t even know how to access Chat GPT or whatever. I’d rather stick my hand in a toaster
Our very excellent RA on our Urban Sensory Pollution project has got themselves a permanent lecturship, so we're hiring! We're looking for an independently-minded ecologist, env scientist, phys geographer or similar. Details: jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl... #ecology #geography #environmentalscience
New postdoc opportunity: We’re looking for an independently-minded postdoctoral Research Assistant/Associate in biogeography, ecology, environmental science or a related field to join our Leverhulme Trust funded project studying urban sensory pollution. jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...
A part of me is glad we don't run the Easter field trip to Iceland anymore...
Discuss.
I suspect a lot of colleagues in academia like the first two stages, but find the writing tough.
Personally, I like the middle part where nothing is fixed: ideas can form and be tested. But I also love the writing.
I enjoy research and I *love* writing. But the bit in between, where the research has to be turned into material that you use in the writing, is the most godforsaken activity on earth. Like extracting marrow from your bones.
Geography has today been ranked #22 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, up from #36 in 2025 and #40 in 2024. This is the highest subject ranking of all disciplines at Newcastle University. Superb achievement!
...particularly enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather!
Really enjoyed presenting findings from my recent work in Iceland and Washington State at @uniofstandrews.bsky.social Dept of Geography & Sustainable Development yesterday. With thanks to Richard Streeter for hosting and NERC @ukri.org, @royalsociety.org for funding.
Forest Service vegetation plot marker in old-growth forest near Spirit Lake, Mount St. Helens, 1979. Red and yellow striped survey pole with white sign reading "03 01 391" stands among tall conifer trees with blue-tinted undergrowth. This plot documented pre-eruption forest composition at the species level. Photo: USDA Forest Service, 1979.
Same vegetation plot location after May 18, 1980 eruption, showing complete devastation. Survey pole with sign reading "03 01 391" stands in gray ash-covered wasteland. All traces of old-growth forest erased by pyroclastic flows reaching 1300°F (700°C). Broken volcanic terrain visible in background under blue sky. Photo: USDA Forest Service, 1980.
The U.S. Forest Service documented this vegetation plot near Spirit Lake in 1979—a careful species-level inventory of an old-growth forest.
After May 18, 1980, they returned to the same coordinates and put up another marker. Same spot. Different planet.
Happy Valentine's from your manuscript
Black-and-white line map titled “Time of First Ashfall, Pacific Northwest,” showing when ash from the May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens eruption first reached locations across the region. Curving isochron lines labeled by hour spread east and northeast from the volcano in southwest Washington, crossing Washington and Oregon into Idaho and Montana, with an inset extending into Wyoming; small open circles mark observation stations and several cities are labeled, including Yakima, Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Missoula, Great Falls, Billings and Cody. A legend notes the isochron times (Pacific Daylight Time, with Mountain Daylight Time in parentheses), and mileage/kilometer scales appear at upper left; the lower margin credits Dr. Michael M. Folsom and Dr. Robert R. Quinn (Department of Geography, Eastern Washington University), July 1980, issued as Plate 3 of Washington Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources open-file report (record series: Publications, State Government Agencies; collection: Natural Resources, Department of; statewide; reference No. 188-15489).
Old school #DataViz? In a way.
This WA Geological Survey plate map shows the time of first ashfall from Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980.
Isochron lines show the ash cloud’s eastward push across the Pacific Northwest, stretching into the morning hours of Monday, May 19.
One of the better sunsets observed from my office at @ncl-geography.bsky.social
OTD 2020: I was doing fieldwork in Patagonia. I hope my colleagues @iceybethan.bsky.social & @christinebatchelor.bsky.social - currently in Patagonia - are enjoying similarly gorgeous landscapes!
Surf's up! Hardy surfers at Whitley Bay yesterday evening. The sea temperature is around 8 degrees...so 10 degrees warmer than the air
Bumper berry crop in autumn = homemade sloe gin at Christmas
Short stay in Edinburgh. Can't quite believe I used to live in this beautiful city
The sunrise over the North Sea this morning was special. Ten minutes later it was over.
A grey, unoccupied lab with sink, centrifuge and shelves
A hand holding a tally counter with 294 showing, next to the stage of a microscope. There is a slide on the microscope
A row of labelled centrifuge tubes, with white caps, in a test tube rack.
A few platy fragments of glass viewed under high powered optical microscopy.
Two weeks until our 2/12 PhD funding deadline! If you’re interested in a cryptotephra research project and joining @camtephra.bsky.social there’s still time drop me an email to discuss your ideas.
Dept funding info: www.geog.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate...
NERC DLA: nercdtp.esc.cam.ac.uk/StaffDirecto...
Thrilled & honored to be included in the @clarivate.com Highly Cited Researcher List 2025! 🚀
Huge thanks to my collaborators & the present & past members of the @BioFunLab
Proud to contribute to the international visibility of @irnase.bsky.social & @csic.es
clarivate.com/highly-cited...
I first encountered Castlefield as an architecture undergraduate in the late 80s/ early 90s and loved it. That feeling hasn't gone away.
The whole area is pretty spectacular, especially in autumn sunshine
Primary sucession...in Manchester! The Castlefield Viaduct was abandoned for much of the 20th Century and nature took over. Now an outstanding example of urban biodiversity @nationaltrust.org.uk
Hard to disagree with this sentiment
Francis Crick, Nobel Prize winner who co-discovered the structure of DNA, "never had to teach or grapple with university administration: he applied for a grant only once in his life."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
No information on the outcome of his application...
📢Are you interested in studying for a PhD in the environmental sciences?
👉🏻Consider joining our vibrant Physical Geography community at Newcastle University for a funded PhD studentship. We have 9 new exciting opportunities. See more details on our LinkedIn Page: www.linkedin.com/posts/geogra...
This project would suit an applicant with a background in ecology, physical geography, or the biological sciences. Experience of – and enthusiasm for - ecological field survey/sampling (preferably in a forested biome) is highly desirable.
Full training in site survey and applied biological conservation to be provided by our CASE partners, Zulu Ecosystems during a 12-month internship.
