John Smellie
email: jls55[at]le.ac.uk
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
ACADEMIC HISTORY:
2009-present: Honorary Departmental Professor, Leicester University, Department of Geology; 7 expeditions to Antarctica between 2010 and 2022 (27 since 1974)
1983 - 2009: Senior Volcanologist, project leader and Leader of Palaeoenvironments Discipline Group within the Geological Sciences Division, British Antarctic Survey. Led fieldwork in 20 Antarctic field seasons (1974 to 2009), including Chief Scientist on three geoscience cruises (to Davis and Graham coasts, South Sandwich Islands and Brabant & James Ross islands), and 8 as participant in international projects in Marie Byrd Land and Ross Dependency
1979-1983: Geologist, British Geological Survey (Edinburgh). Mainly investigated stratigraphy, geochemistry and tectonic evolution of the Ordovician Ballantrae Complex (ophiolite), SW Scotland
1979: PhD (University of Birmingham): Aspects of the geology of the South Shetland Islands.
1974-1979: Geologist, British Antarctic Survey. First geological survey of South Shetland Islands
1974: Geology BSc Honours (1st class), University of Edinburgh
Primary & Secondary education: Royal High School, Edinburgh
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Physical volcanology, tephrochronology and volcanic & sedimentary petrology, particularly:
- Explosive subaqueous eruptions
- Magma:water & magma:ice interactions
- Processes and products of subglacial eruptions
- Applying physical volcanology to interpret eruptive palaeoenvironments, especially ice sheet evolution
AWARDS & SERVICE:
Double recipient of The Polar Medal (UK; 1986 & 2023)
Antarctic Service Medal, Italian Antarctic Programme (Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide [PNRA])
Antarctic Service Medal, United States Antarctic Program
27 Antarctic field seasons (to 2022)
10 expeditions to Iceland (to 2022)
Three named Antarctic geographical features (Point Smellie and Smellie Peak [by UK]; Cerro Smellie [by Spain])
Swiney Guest Lecturer, University of Edinburgh
Recognised Teacher at the University of Bristol Dept. of Geology
Honorary Departmental Fellow, University of Wales (Aberystwyth)
Honorary Professor in Environmental Science, University of Lancaster
Member, European Geophysical Union
Member, International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
Member, IAVCEI Commission on Volcanogenic Sediments. Member, IAVCEI Commission on Explosive Eruptions
Executive Committee Member and former Chair, IAVCEI Commission on Volcano—Ice Interactions
Executive Committee Member and former Chair, SCAR Expert Group on Antarctic Volcanism (AntVolc)
Member, GeoMAP Action Group of SCAR
Member, UK National Committee for Antarctic Research (reports to UK Royal Society)
Fellow of Geological Society, London (& VMSG Committee member)
Fellow of Edinburgh Geological Society
Earth Sciences Editor, Antarctic Science
Associate Editor, Bulletin of Volcanology
SELECTED INVITED & KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS
Image: sampling scoria on Mount Harcourt, northern Victoria Land
Keynote speaker (‘Victoria Land volcanism – a review’), SCAR International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences, Korea, 2019
Keynote speaker (‘The role of volcanism in the making of Antarctica’), SCAR International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences, Korea, 2019
Keynote speaker (‘Glaciovolcanic studies near South Pole & evidence for a highly dynamic Early Miocene East Antarctic Ice Sheet’), EGU, 2019
Invited speaker (‘Victoria Land volcanism - an overview of recent volcanological and palaeoenvironmental research’), Korean International Symposium on Polar Sciences, 2018
Keynote speaker (‘Using glaciovolcanism to recreate past ice sheets’), International Glaciological Society, British Branch Meeting, Lancaster, 2017
Keynote speaker (‘Antarctic volcanism, past & present, and the future of AntVolc’), SCAR AntVolc workshop, Barcelona, 2017
Invited speaker (‘Glaciovolcanic Studies: a Pivotal Role in Characterising Past ice Sheets’), Second International Volcano—Ice Interactions Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 2007
Keynote speaker (‘Glaciovolcanism as a major new proxy for palaeoenvironmental change: the pros and cons’), Intl Glaciol Soc Symposium on Ice—Volcano Interactions, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2006
Invited speaker, IAS International Conference on Glacial Sedimentary Processes & Products, Aberystwyth, Wales, 2005
Invited speaker (‘The Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet as a natural hazard: assessing its potential for complete melting using palaeo-ice sheet parameters derived from products of Neogene subglacial eruptions’), EGU General Assembly, 2005
Keynote speaker (‘Subglacial eruptions – an overview and some recent advances from a field geologist’s perspective’), IAVCEI General Assembly, Session on subaqueous and subglacial volcanism, Pucon, Chile, 2004
Keynote speaker, Volcano—Ice Interactions on Earth & Mars, Reykjavik (Iceland), 2000
Invited speaker, Pardee Keynote Symposium on ‘Preservation of random mega-scale events on Mars and Earth: Influence on geologic history’, GSA, Seattle (USA), 2003
Invited speaker, International Symposium on Antarctic Science, Seoul, 1995