Dr Dave Mcgarvie

Biography

"The main focus of my research is investigating volcano-ice interactions at Icelandic and Chilean volcanoes, and currently I have three PhD students working on various problems. I am also exploring a little-known volcano in Chile (see https://goo.gl/BmzCUx), and a PhD student (Isla Simmons, University of Edinburgh) started in October 2016 to investigate recent eruptions. http://www.ed.ac.uk/geosciences/people/person.html?indv=5082 I have started a small project exploring links between ancient caldera volcanoes in Scotland and pyroclastic deposits preserved in contemporaneous lava piles. The largest part of my job is the Staff Tutor role, which is a peculiarly OU job, similar to a conventional Head of Department/School (as it involves a lot of line management). The Staff Tutor job comprises three main aspects: (1) managing a team of part-time tutors; (2) dealing with a multitude of student issues; (3) teaching. I am employed by the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology (STEM for short), and I am based at the OU's National Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland."

Research Interest

My research uses volcanology to understand environmental and earth processes. I have a particular interest in exploring the growth and eruptive behaviour of volcanoes that were active during recent glacial periods, as this enables a better understanding of potential future eruption hazards.