Profile
James Verdon
Oh no! Pipped at the post! Well done Nuala! Thanks for all the questions guys. I really enjoyed my time on IAS, I hope you did too.
My CV
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Education:
I did my GCSEs and A-levels at Lord Wandsworth College, Hampshire, and then went to Cambridge University for my 1st degree. Then I moved to Bristol University for my PhD.
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Qualifications:
I did Physics, Chemistry and Maths at A-level, with an AS in Spanish. I have a Masters degree in Earth Sciences from Cambridge, and a PhD in Geophysics from Bristol University
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Work History:
I briefly worked as a geophysicist at Shell in Holland. I’ve also done a short spell as an intern at Pinnacle, another oil company (in Canada).
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Current Job:
I’m paid to study earthquakes, both natural ones and, importantly, ones created by man-made activities such as coal mining and shale gas production
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My Typical Day:
I get up slightly later than I should, and get to my office, where I analyse earthquake data from around the world. I also build computer models of volcanoes, coal mines and oil reservoirs to understand how they behave, and whether they’ll produce earthquakes.
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Read more
Most of the time, I’m in my office analysing earthquake data and building computer models. Here’s my office:
However, the best bits of my work are when I get to go to the field, anywhere in the world, including volcanoes, and deploy seismometers to monitor the earth! Here’s some photos from a recent trip to the Nisyros volcano, which is on a Greek Island, where we deployed some geophysical monitoring equipment.
Here’s the volcanic crater:
Here’s us conducting a seismic survey at the bottom of the crater:
And here’s some monitoring equipment we deployed:
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would use it to buy equipment and material to take to schools, to help you guys learn more about how earthquakes and volcanoes work
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Sporty, geeky, easy-going
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, I often used to get bored in lessons and cause a bit of trouble. Particularly in chemistry, with all those bunsen burners to play with!!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I have a completely random range of music on my iTunes, from Mozart to Katy Perry via a few guilty pleasures like Meat Loaf, Kiss and Aerosmith.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To live a happy, healthy and fulfilled life, and to play my small part in increasing our knowledge about the planet on which we live
Tell us a joke.
My fried Dave just broke a world record by getting 26 birds to land on him at the same time. What a ledge!!!
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