I’m originally from Yorkshire. After finishing my undergraduate degree I moved to Manchester and lived there for 13 years, before moving to Camborne School of Mines for a lectureship in geomicrobiology.
My research investigates how microorgansims affect the behaviour of contaminants and metals in the environment, and we can put these microbes to work to clean up pollution and mine metals.
The best thing about living in Cornwall is the coast. Dramatic cliffs, big waves in storms, swimming in the sea all year round!
My favourite mineral is serpentine. It looks like snakeskin when it weathers. It forms when ancient oceanic crust and mantle react with water. This reaction not only causes earthquakes due to volume expansion, it also produces hydrogen which may have fuelled the very first life on Earth! Serpentine minerals can be found on the Lizard Peninsula at the beautiful Kynance Cove.
https://emps.exeter.ac.uk/csm/staff/ln306
