Professor Michael Kendall joins Oxford Earth Sciences

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Professor Michael Kendall, who will be joining Oxford Earth Sciences in November 2019 as Professor of Geophysics.

Mike’s research covers pure and applied seismology, with connections to mineral physics, geodynamics and engineering. His breakthroughs have come from an ability to translate discoveries and solve problems across disciplines, including volcanology and glaciology.  Current research in global geophysics concentrates on the nature of the Earth’s core-mantle interface and the boundaries of tectonic plates. For nearly 20 years he has worked in East Africa, revealing the role of the mantle in the breakup of continents. He has led seismic field experiments in a range of geologic settings varying from the Canadian Arctic to Ethiopia.

Mike conducting field work on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles.

Techniques developed to study wave propagation in the deep Earth have also been applied to his research in exploration seismology. With a focus on wave propagation in anisotropic media, his interests in applied seismology lie in passive seismic monitoring and rock-fracture characterization. Early in his career he recognised the importance of human-induced seismicity, working closely with industry and regulators across a range of industrial applications. He has managed a number of large industry-funded consortia, and in 2010 he founded the Bristol University Microseismicity Projects (BUMPS).

Field work in Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada.

Currently the BGS Professor of Geophysics at the University of Bristol, Mike will join Oxford this November. He has a PhD in Geophysics from Queen’s University in Canada and was a NSERC postdoctoral fellow and Green’s Scholar at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the USA. He has had faculty positions at the University of Toronto and the University of Leeds, and worked briefly for Chevron Canada Resources in Calgary, Canada. He was previously president of the British Geophysical Association (BGA) and vice-president (Geophysics) of the Royal Astronomical Society. In 2003 he was the BGA Bullerwell Lecturer, in 2011 he was elected fellow of the American Geophysical Union and in 2019 he was elected to the Royal Society.