Neill Marshall

I am a geologist interested in understanding the Earth’s plate tectonic processes that form mountain belts and sedimentary basins. My current focus is the motion of the Earth’s crust in the Quaternary period caused by earthquakes, with the goals of building a better understanding of earthquake recurrence, mountain belt and sedimentary basin formation and the inherent seismic hazard associated with these processes.

I primarily work in the Kopeh-Dagh mountains (Turkmenistan) and West Caspian Fault Zone (Azerbaijan) with the overall aim of understanding the tectonics of the South Caspian Basin. I use a combination of geomorphology, paleoseismology, remote sensing, Quaternary dating and seismology to understand when, where and how often earthquakes occur in these regions.

I have additional research interests understanding the interaction between active faulting and volcanism in the East African Rift Zone (Eritrea) and the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone (Chile).

Prior to my DPhil studies at Oxford, I worked for ten years in the private sector in various financial risk management roles ultimately specialising in Market Risk management at the Royal Bank of Scotland PLC. I have a BSc(Hons) degree in Mathematics (University of York) and a BSc(Hons) degree in Geology (Birkbeck College, University of London). My DPhil is funded by the Leverhulme Trust and I have won support from CASP and the Geological Remote Sensing Group.

Supervisor: Prof. Richard Walker (University of Oxford)

Co-supervisor: Dr. Christoph Grützner (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena)