Search
People

Dr David Cornwell

Dr David Cornwell
Dr David Cornwell
Dr David Cornwell

BSc (Leicester), MSc (Leeds), PhD (Leicester), FHEA, FRAS

Senior Lecturer

About
Email Address
d.cornwell@abdn.ac.uk
Office Address
141 Meston Building
Old Aberdeen Campus
Meston Walk
AB24 3UE

View on Map

School/Department
School of Geosciences
Twitter
ORCiD
ResearchGate
Google Scholar
Scopus
Linkedin
Pure
Personal Website

Biography

Dave joined the Department of Geology and Geophysics as a Lecturer in Geophysics in January 2013. He previously spent over 5 years in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds as a Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellow in Geophysics, continuing his research and teaching on the MSc Exploration Geophysics and undergraduate geophysics programmes. His PhD, entitled "Magmatic continental rift zones: the Ethiopian Rift", was awarded from the University of Leicester in 2008, where he was supervised by Prof. Peter Maguire and Prof. Richard England. He also held the post of Graduate Teaching Assistant in Geophysics and taught undergraduate seismic processing and field geophysics. He achieved his MSc. in Exploration Geophysics from the University of Leeds in 2001 and BSc. in Geophysics (Geological) from the University of Leicester in 1999 and spent a year in Menlo Park, CA, as part of the USGS Western Earthquake Hazards Team.   

Qualifications

  • BSc Geophysics (Geological) 
    1999 - University of Leicester 
  • MSc. Exploration Geophysics 
    2001 - University of Leeds 
  • PhD Seismology 
    2008 - University of Leicester 

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships
External Memberships
  • British Geophysical Association (BGA) council (2018-2024)

Latest Publications

  • The UK and Ireland Geophysical Array -- Concept and Design

    Curtis, A., Lythgoe, K., Hicks, S. P., Bie, L., Strutz, D., Chambers, E., Baptie, B., Cornwell, D., Huebert, J., Irving, J., Jones, G., Lebedev, S., Mansour, W. B., Álvarez, A. M., Nippress, S., Noten, K. V., Pharaoh, T., Palamakumbura, R., Rawlinson, N., Salgado, P. R., Verdon, J., Zhu, C., Zhou, W., Assink, J., Bastow, I., Bindi, D., Blenkinsop, T., Bonadio, R., Braim, M., Craig, T., Day, E., Diaferia, G., Dunning, S., Edwards, B., Fagereng, A., Fishwick, S., Gilligan, A., Healy, D., Horleston, A., Ireland, M., Jenkins, J., Johnson, J., Kendall, M., Kettlety, T., Kiyan, D., Koelemeijer, P., Kounoudis, R., Lane, V., Lu, C., Magrini, F., Marignier, A., Martin, C., Möllhoff, M., Neill, I., Nowacki, A., Paap, B., Pilia, S., de Ridder, S., Ruigrok, E., Shi, P., Stork, A., Turner, A., Whiteley, J., Ziolkowski, A.
    Working Papers: Preprint Papers

  • Evidence of Subduction, Collision, and Extension in Northern Borneo: Constraints From Receiver Functions

    Gilligan, A., Cornwell, D. G., Rawlinson, N., Tongkul, F., Pilia, S., Greenfield, T., Bacon, C. A.
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, vol. 131, no. 1, e2025JB031499
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Migrated teleseismic P wave receiver functions reveal intricate post-subduction crust and upper mantle structure of northern Borneo (Sabah), Malaysia

    Cornwell, D., Gilligan, A., Rawlinson, N., Tongkul, F., Pilia, S., Bacon, C. A., Greenfield, T., Baker, S. K., Wehner, D., Linang, H. T., Fone, J. W.
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, vol. 130, no. 11, e2025JB031466
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Ambient noise tomography of northern Borneo reveals evidence of subduction and post-subduction processes.

    Fone, J., Rawlinson, N., Pilia, S., Gilligan, A., Cornwell, D., Tongkul, F.
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, vol. 129, no. 11, e2024JB029092
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Post-subduction tectonics induced by extension from a lithospheric drip

    Pilia, S., Davies, D. R., Hall, R., Bacon, C., Gilligan, A., Greenfield, T., Tongkul, F., Kramer, S., Wilson, C. R., Ghelichkhan, S., Cornwell, D., Colli, L., Rawlinson, N.
    Nature Geoscience, vol. 16, pp. 646-652
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

View My Publications

Prizes and Awards

  • Royal Astronomical Association (RAS) Higher Education Award 2024 for "outstanding and sustained contribution to undergraduate and postgraduate [geophysics] teaching over a number of years...[and being]...particularly committed to championing the mental health and personal wellbeing of students and colleagues...[and being]...similarly committed to EDI, including acting as a role model for disabled children taking part in STEM."
Research

Research Overview

 

I am an observational seismologist and geophysicist who works on imaging the Earth at a variety of scales. My work involves field deployment/acquisition, processing, modelling and interpretation of complex datasets to investigate a variety of Earth processes.

Keywords: Tectonics, seismology, gravity, crustal structure, upper mantle structure, lithosphere heterogeneity, magmatism, rifting, strike slip faulting, anisotropy, receiver functions, shear wave splitting, ambient noise tomography, body wave tomography, near surface geophysics (GPR, resistivity, magnetics, seismic), geophysical data processing & inversion, scientific coding, machine learning.

Research Areas

Geology and Geophysics

Supervising
View Research Area

Research Specialisms

  • Geophysics

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Current Research

Currently characterising crust and mantle structure in Borneo, lithosphere imaging in northern Turkey, and using shallow geophysics for a variety of applications. 

Past Research

Crust and mantle structure at plate margins using seismology and gravity methods.  My research encompasses:

  • Imaging magma-rich continental rift zones and developing new models of rift initiation and development (Ethiopia and the North Atlantic)
  • Mapping the mantle transition zone using receiver functions (Ethiopia)
  • Characterising the velocity and anisotropy of crust and mantle layers with shear wave splitting, receiver functions, tomography and ambient noise techniques (Faroe Islands, Ethiopia and Turkey)
  • Passive seismology for hydrocarbon exploration (Faroe Islands)

Knowledge Exchange

  • Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) funded "Scottish Shakers" outreach project
  • Deployed >20 Raspberry Shake seismometers across the UK
  • Pittodrie "Donsquake" outreach project

Supervision

My current supervision areas are: Geology and Geophysics.

I am or have been a PhD supervisor for:

Ahmed Madani - "". Saudi Ministry PhD Scholarship. Started September 2021. 

Sophia Baker - "". Sponsored by University of Aberdeen. Started September 2021. 

Millie Coleman - "". Sponsored by QUADRAT. Started October 2021. 

Lukman Inuwa Gani - "". Sponsored by PTDF. Started February 2020.

Zhihua (Josh) Cui - "" . Sponsored by University of Aberdeen. Started October 2018. 

Azam Amirshakirami - "". Sponsored by University of Aberdeen. Started October 2018. 

Panayiota Sketsiou - "". Sponsored by NERC Oil & Gas CDT. Started October 2017.

Bartosz Kurjanski - "Characterisation of glacigenic reservoirs and landsystems using sedimentology, geomorphology and virtual outcrop mapping". Sponsored by NERC Oil & Gas CDT. Started October 2016.

Waheed Akande - "". Sponsored by PTDF. Started October 2016. 

Emily Crowder - "Seismic imaging without a source: Towards cost effective and low environmental impact hydrocarbon exploration". Sponsored by NERC Oil & Gas CDT. Started October 2016. 

Obeid Saitabau Lemna - "Geophysical Interpretation and Geodynamic Evolution of the Rukwa Rift Basin in the East African Rift System, SW Tanzania". Started October 2015.

Mohammed Bello - "Joint Traveltime Tomography for Crustal and Upper Mantle Velocity and Interface Structure - Linking Tasmania and mainland Australia using passive seismic imaging techniques". Sponsored by University of Aberdeen/ATBU. Started July 2015.

Elvira Papaleo- "Seismologically imaging the North Anatolian Fault Zone (Turkey) using multi-scale tomography methods for earthquake hazard assessment". Sponsored by University of Aberdeen. Started October 2014.

Carmelo Sammarco - "Seismic imaging of the lithosphere: investigating structural continuity between the crust and upper mantle". Sponsored by University of Aberdeen. Started July 2014.

Maral Halliyeva - "Characterising glacigenic reservoirs using geophysical studies". Sponsored by Senergy/University of Aberdeen. Started November 2013. Now at Earthworks Reservoir (www.earthworks-reservoir.com)

Jon Basell - "Characterising glacigenic reservoirs using modelling and analogue studies". Sponsored by Senergy/University of Aberdeen. Started October 2013.

Ben Allen - "Basin structure and sill emplacement in the Faroe-Shetland Basin". Sponsored by E.ON Ruhrgras UK. Started November 2012.

Sulaiman Alsulami - "Tectonic Variation and Structural Evolution of the West Greenland Continental Margin". Sponsored by Saudi Aramco (passed viva September 2014).

Datasets

  • Shear wave model of Sabah, North Borneo, from surface wave tomography

    Supplementary Information from "Post-subduction tectonics of Sabah, North Borneo, inferred from surface wave tomography" by Tim Greenfield, Amy Gilligan, Simone Pilia, David G. Cornwall, Felix Tongkul, Sri Widiyantoro & Nick Rawlinson
    DOI
    10.5281/zenodo.5465032
    Publisher
    Zenodo
    Links
    Date Made Available
    11 March 2026
    Contributors
    Greenfield, T. (Creator), Gilligan, A. (Creator), Pilia, S. (Creator), Cornwell, D. G. (Creator), Tongkul, F. (Creator), Widiyantoro, S. (Creator), Rawlinson, N. (Creator)

  • Supplemental Datafiles for the manuscript "Crustal structure of northern Borneo from VDSS: Implications for subduction termination and the tectonic reconstruction of SE Asia"

    Processed waveform data (windowed/filtered) from the seismic stations for the Virtual Deep Seismic Sounding (VDSS) study in northern Borneo.
    DOI
    10.5281/zenodo.6872172
    Publisher
    Zenodo
    Links
    Date Made Available
    20 July 2022
    Contributors
    Linang, H. T. (Creator), Simone, P. (Creator), Rawlinson, N. (Creator), Bacon, C. A. (Creator), Gilligan, A. (Creator), Cornwell, D. G. (Creator), Tongkul, F. (Creator)

  • Imaging evidence of subduction, collision, and extension in northern Borneo: Constraints from receiver functions

    Northern Borneo (Sabah) has a complex geological history, having experienced multiple episodes of subduction, magmatism, uplift, subsidence, and extension since the Mesozoic. This includes the subduction of the proto-South China Sea beneath what is now the northwestern margin of Sabah, which terminated ~21 Ma; a postulated later phase of northward subduction of the Celebes Sea plate, which terminated ~9 Ma; extension in central Sabah ~9-10Ma; rapid emplacement and exhumation of a granite intrusion ~7Ma, which forms Mt Kinabalu today, and the development of a fold and thrust belt offshore during the last 5 Myr. While these events have all left an imprint in the rock record at the surface, it has not been possible, until recently, to investigate deeper lithospheric processes that have shaped Sabah. However, the installation of 46 broadband seismometers with an ~40 km station spacing as part of the northern Borneo Orogeny Seismic Survey (nBOSS) between 2018 and 2020, means that for the first time it is now possible to constrain the architecture of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath Sabah. Here we present the results of receiver function analysis using two years of passive seismic data recorded by the nBOSS network, and an additional 24 Malaysian Metrological Service broadband seismometers also located in Sabah. We calculate P-wave receiver functions and use these in a joint inversion with surface wave data to obtain shear velocity models of crustal structure. We find that the crustal thickness in northern Borneo varies between 22 and 60 km. The thickest crust occurs beneath the Crocker Range, while the thinnest crust is found in central Sabah, potentially recording Miocene extension. The crust beneath the 4095m high Mt Kinabalu is also comparatively thin. Distinct, low velocity, dipping anomalies identified in our shear wave velocity models provide clear evidence for underthrusting of Dangerous Grounds continental crust following subduction and collision.
    Publisher
    University of Aberdeen
    Links
    Date Made Available
    14 March 2024
    Related Research Outputs
    Contributors
    Gilligan, A. (Creator), Cornwell, D. (Creator)
View My Datasets on Pure
Teaching

Programmes

Courses

Teaching Responsibilities

  • MSc. Geophysics Programme Director (June 2017-August 2021; August 2024-present)
  • GL5545 - Seismic Reflection Theory and Processing (practical processing with SeisSpace/ProMAX)(module manager)
  • GL5575 - Seismology & Earth Imaging (module manager)
  • GL2511 - Geophysics

Qualifications:

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
  • University Level Teaching Award 2 (ULTA-2), University of Leeds, 2011 (60 Masters-level credits)
  • University of Aberdeen teaching training

 

Publications

Page 2 of 4 Results 11 to 20 of 40

Show 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 results per page

Refine

Contributions to Journals

Working Papers

Other Contributions

Update