Professor Iain Stewart MBE

The Global Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Iain's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

About Iain

Iain Stewart is Professor of Geoscience Communication at the University of Plymouth, UK. His academic interests in applying Earth science to pressing societal concerns – geoscience and sustainable development, climate change, geo-resources, geo-energy, and disaster risk reduction – form the basis of his 2018 recognition as UNESCO Chair in ‘Geoscience and Society’.

Iain’s academic roots are in active tectonics and geohazards. After completing a BSc in Geography and Geology at Strathclyde University (1986), and a PhD in earthquake geology at the University of Bristol (1990), he taught Earth sciences at Brunel University, west London, until 2002. In 2004, he joined the University of Plymouth, where he developed his interdisciplinary interests in ‘geo-communication’.

His geo-communication activities build on a 15-year partnership with BBC Science, making popular mainstream television documentaries about planet Earth. As well as general Earth science programmes showcasing how the planet works and what it means for those living on it, Iain has explored the geological aspects of his Scottish homeland. In addition, he has tackled controversial societal issues, notably climate change and energy.

This ‘popular geoscience’ has led to an academic interest in how best to convey complex and contested Earth science to non-technical (public) audiences. Working with a team of doctoral students, Iain has forged novel research alliances with human geographers, psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists to apply social and cognitive science perspectives on communicating risk and uncertainty to Earth science problems. The work includes understanding cultural responses to geo-hazard threats, examining how popular media (film and video games) can enhance disaster risk awareness, appreciating how lay publics conceptualise the geological subsurface, and analyzing public and media attitudes to geo-energy (geothermal and shale gas).

Iain is a global advocate for the Earth Sciences, receiving an MBE for services to UK geoscience in the 2013 and recognized with awards from The Royal Geographical Society, the Geological Society of London, the American Geophysical Union, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the American Geosciences Institute, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the European Federation of Geologists and the Geological Society of America.

He regularly delivers plenary addresses and keynote talks on popular geoscience at international geoscience fora and industry conferences, as well as specialist technical workshops on geoscience communication.

In January 2021, he took up a British Academy (Newton Fund) 4-yr secondment post as El Hassan Research Chair in Sustainability at the Royal Scientific Society in Jordan.

Supervised Research Degrees

Johanna Ickert (Plymouth) - Visual anthropological perspectives on earthquake science communication. Funding: EU ALErT. (1st Supervisor) (2014-2021)
Francesca Tirotti (Plymouth) Social and cognitive factors influencing the public perception of geothermal energy. Funding: ERDF (2^nd supervisor) (2017-2021)
Lara Mani (Plymouth) – 3D visualization of volcanic hazards. Funding: NERC quota. (2nd Supervisor) (2013 – 2018)
Hazel Gibson (Plymouth) – Public understanding of the geological subsurface. Funding: NERC quota. (1st Supervisor) (2012 – 2016)
Emiko Kent (Plymouth) – Tectonics and drainage evolution in western Turkey. Funding: NERC quota. Awarded: 2015 (2nd Supervisor)
Michael Whitworth (Plymouth) Coastal inundation risk scenario development for disaster response in SW Devon and east Cornwall. Funding: Self. Awarded: 2014 (2^nd Supervisor)
Sarah Hayes (Plymouth) – Volcanic risk assessments: integrating hazard and social vulnerability analysis. Funding: ESRC/NERC. Awarded: 2011 (1st Supervisor)
Kate Donovan (Plymouth) – Cultural Responses to Geophysical Hazards in Indonesia. Funding: ESRC/NERC. Awarded: 2010 (1st Supervisor)