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Katy Chamberlain

My CV

  • Education:

    Farley Hill Primary School, in Berkshire
    Kendrick School in Reading
    University of Leeds (for undergraduate study)
    Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (for PhD)

  • Qualifications:

    10 GCSEs in: Maths, English literature, English language, Double science, Geography, History, Textiles, Business studies, German.
    4 A-Levels in: Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Geography
    BSc (hons) & MGeol in Geological Sciences
    PhD in Volcanology & Petrology

  • Work History:

    Sales Assistant, Pravins the Jewellers
    Practical Class tutor
    Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Durham
    Postdoctoral fellow at the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology
    Programme Manager, Natural Environment Research Council

  • Current Job:

    Lecturer in Geoscience

    • About Me:

      I am a volcanologist who loves being outdoors and in the lab! I am a lecturer at a university, so as well as studying volcanoes, I get to teach other people about them too.

    • Read more

      I go out to volcanoes around the world, and make notes on the rocks that I see in the field. I then collect samples of these rocks, and bring them back to the lab to measure.

      When I am back home, I measure the different elements that make up the rock. Changes in the measurements tell us about the things that happened to magma before an eruption. In particular, I study tiny crystals from volcanoes (as small as the width of one of your hairs)- and look for zones- like tree rings- that record changes in the life of the crystals before eruption. This tells us what happened, and importantly, when it happened before old eruptions, and helps to understand future potential eruptions.

       

    • My Typical Day:

      I spend a lot of my time teaching at university or analysing my rock samples and working out what the results mean. On good days I am out somewhere like Ascension Island, Chile or the USA looking at the rocks in the field!

    • What I do to help Planet Earth:

      I do not eat much meat, and I buy vegetables that are not wrapped in plastic- every little helps, right?

    • The CHRISTMAS LECTURE related to my work:

      https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qpjk

    • My Interview

      • What did you want to be after you left school?

        I always wanted to be a volcanologist

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