
PhD (Geology), BSc(Hons), FGS
Chair in Virtual Geosciences
- About
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School of Geosciences
Meston Building,
Kings College,
Aberdeen
AB24 3UE UK
Biography
Originally from Wales, John did a degree at the University of Cardiff, followed by a PhD at the University of Birmingham. He then spent 10 years in the University of Liverpool as a researcher and junior faculty member working with the StratGroup. He moved to Norway in 2002 and lived in Bergen until 2012. During that time he worked in the Department of Earth Sciences and UniCIPR where he founded the Virtual Outcrop Geology Group. He was also one of the founders of Rocksource ASA an independent Norwegian E&P Company, where he worked in senior managment for 6 years.
Since 2012 he has been a Professor at the University of Aberdeen. His current research focuses on virtual geosciences, including the improved use of analogues for understanding reservoirs. In the past 25 years he has worked on outcrops from all over the World with special focus on the western USA. He has supervised over 50 PhD students, published more than a 150 papers and edited 7 books. He currently runs the SAFARI project, a collaboration between University of Aberdeen and Uni Bergen supported by 13 companies. Over the past 15 years he has pioneered the use of Virtual Outcrops, collected using lidar and more recently UAVs (drones), in the geosciences.
He is passionate about outreach in the geosciences. He was a co-host on "The Big Monster Dig", a TV series on geology and palaeontology for C4 and Discovery. He also has numerous other TV and radio credits as a scientific expert.
Qualifications
- BSc Geology1988 - Cardiff University
- PhD Geology1992 - University of BirminghamSedimentology of the Rotliegend of the UK Southern North Sea
External Memberships
Fellow of the Geological Society of London
International Association of Sedimentologists (IAS)
Society of Economic Petrologists and Mineralogists (SEPM)
American Association of Petreoleum Geologists (AAPG)
Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain (PESGB)
Prizes and Awards
Perce Allen Award (highest award of BSRG, 2018)
ExxonMobil Young Researcher Award (2000)
Alaister Pilkinton Award for Excellence in Teaching (2000)
- Research
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Research Overview
Current research areas include:
- The developement of digital field methods in the geosciences; especially terrestrial LiDAR, UAVs (drones) and photogrammetry
- The collection of analogue data for better subsurface models
- Large scale studies of modern depositional systems as a key to understanding the subsurface
- Reservoir modelling of geological outcrops
- The geology of the Colorado Plateau, especially central and southern Utah
- Sequence stratigraphy.
Research Areas
Current Research
Safari Project - Large industry JIP in collaboration with UniCIPR in Bergen. 4 PhD students and several post-doc researchers supported by 14 comapnies and the Research Council of Norway
Aeolian reservoir analogues - JIP with DEA (Germany) working on various aeolian systems in the USA inlcuding the Page Sst in southern Utah/Arizona
Triassic Mudstones - Large JIP looking at the Central North Sea, 3 PhDs
- Teaching
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- Publications
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Page 1 of 15 Results 1 to 10 of 143
Transgressive rocky coasts in the geological record: Insights from Miocene granitic rocky shorelines and modern examples
Sedimentary Geology, vol. 446, 106344Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPredicting oil field performance using machine learning programming: a comparative case study from the UK continental shelf
Petroleum Geoscience, vol. 29, no. 1, petgeo2022-071Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2022-071
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Quantitative analysis of crevasse-splay systems from modern fluvial settings
Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 92, no. 9, pp. 751-774Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2020.067
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Virtual field trips utilizing virtual outcrop: construction, delivery and implications for the future
Geoscience Communication, vol. 5, pp. 227-249Contributions to Journals: ArticlesVirtual outcrop-based analysis of channel and crevasse splay sandstone body architecture in the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group, Yorkshire, NE England
Journal of the Geological Society, vol. 179, no. 3, jgs2021-017Contributions to Journals: ArticlesVirtual Field Trips: Experience from a Global Pandemic and Beyond
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2118/209560-ms
- [ONLINE] http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/209560-ms
Aeolian Sand Dune Sedimentary Architecture Is Key in Determining the “Slow-Gas Effect” during Gas Field Production Performance
SPE Journal, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 1354-1366Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2118/208617-PA
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Interpretation and mapping of geological features using mobile devices in outcrop geology: A case study of the Saltwick Formation, North Yorkshire, UK
3D Digital Geological Models. Wiley, pp. 71-92, 22 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119313922.ch5
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
V3Geo: A cloud-based repository for virtual 3D models in geoscience
Geoscience Communication, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 67-82Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTransport of mafic magma through the crust and sedimentary basins: Jameson Land, East Greenland
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 179, no. 3, jgs2021-043Contributions to Journals: Articles