James Bryson

I am interested in the formation of rocky planets and how these bodies could become habitable. I achieve this by studying various material that dates from the period of planet formation during the very early solar system, namely the assortment of meteorites that have fallen to Earth. I explore these extraterrestrial rocks using a suite of experimental techniques (paleomagnetism, isotopic measurements, X-ray spectroscopy, electron microscopy) and multifaceted computer models to unlock new insights into the behaviour of planet formation and the evolution of the early solar system.

I teach across all four years of the undergraduate course:

-1st year, Mineralogy, Fundamentals of Geology

-2nd year, Meteorites and Planetary Materials

-3rd year, Electron Microscopy, Analytical Methods

-4th year, Paleomagnetism

-4th year, Planetary Sciences

I am also the tutor for Earth Sciences at University College, meaning I give tutorials to students at University College as well as the entire 1st year and 2nd year cohorts.

2020 - current, Associate Professor of Mineralogy, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford.

2016 - 2019, Junior Research Fellow, St John’s College, University of Cambridge.

Summer 2018, Visiting Scientist, Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT.

Summer 2017, Visiting Scientist, Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT.

2015 - 2016, Postdoctoral Associate, Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT.

2011 - 2015, PhD The origin of ancient magnetic activity on small planetary bodies: A nanopaleomagnetic study, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge. Supervisors: Prof. Richard Harrison and Prof. Simon Redfern.

2007 - 2011, Undergraduate BA MSci (1^st Class Honours), Selwyn College, University of Cambridge.