Simon Lamb

I am an Earth Scientist working at the interface between geology and geophysics, with a strong interest in active plate tectonics. This has involved quantifying and analysing decadal and longer term rates of horizontal and vertical motion of the Earth's surface. I am particularly interested in the implications for the fundamental forces that drive these motions, and natural hazards they may cause. I have worked in earthquake-prone regions of the Andes of South America, Himalaya and Tibet, eastern Mediterranean, and New Zealand.

I was in the Department of Earth Sciences at Oxford University for over 20 years, first as a Royal Society University Research Fellow, then lecturer. I was also a fellow of St Anne's and St Cross colleges. I left Oxford in 2010, coming to VUW as Associate Professor in Geophysics.

I have a strong interest in the public understanding of science, and I have been involved in 10 BBC science documentaries as consultant, producer and director, including the 8 part Earth Story series. I was also a major driver (together with Peter Barrett) in a big initiative to communicate the science of climate change, supported by Oxford University and VUW. This involved directing/ producing the award winning film Thin Ice, (2013), and developing a popular website on climate change (www.thiniceclimate.org), which is now a valued educational resource for NZ school curriculum. In addition of have written 3 major popular science books about my geological research, including the award winning 'Devil in the Mountain' published by Princeton University Press ((https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691126203/devil-in-the-mountain), which was selected as one of the 100 notable books of 2004 by the New York Times.