Laboratory for Geodynamics 

Department of Earth Sciences | University of Oxford

Theoretical Dynamics of the Fluid Earth

Laboratory for Geodynamics 

Department of Earth Sciences | University of Oxford

Theoretical Dynamics of the Fluid Earth

People

Current Members

Prof. Richard Foa Katz (0000-0001-8746-5430)

Group leader and Professor of Geodynamics, Univ Oxford
CVdepartmental homepage
Email: 
Tel: +44 (0)1865 282122s

Thomas Breithaupt

NERC DTP DPhil candidate, University of Oxford
Project: Microstructural evolution of deforming mantle rocks and implications for geodynamic processes

Luke Kearney

NERC DTP DPhil candidate, University of Oxford
Two-phase physics of salt tectonics
Co-supervised  by Chris MacMinn in Engineering

Dr. Yuan Li  (0000-0002-6444-6138)

ERC Postdoctoral fellow, Univ Oxford
Project: Magma-assisted tectonics of continental rifts and mid-ocean ridges
Email: yuan.li@earth.ox.ac.uk

Joel-Pascal Ntwali N’Konzi 

Mfano summer intern, Univ Oxford
Project: Stability analysis of plastic localisation

Dr. Adina Pusok (0000-0002-4439-8124)

ERC Postdoctoral fellow, Univ Oxford
Project: Magma-assisted tectonics of continental rifts and mid-ocean ridges
Email: adina.pusok@earth.ox.ac.uk

Jules Tampier

ENS Lyon research internship, Univ. Oxford
Project: Dislocation population dynamics under oscillatory loading 

Hanwen Zhang

ERC DPhil candidate, University of Oxford
Project: Fluid-driven fracture and its role in rifting 

Affiliates and Collaborators

Dr. David Rees Jones (0000-0001-8698-401X)

Lecturer in the Vortex Dynamics Group,
School of Mathematics & Statistics, University of St. Andrews
Homepage: www-vortex.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~dwrj1/

Prof. David May (0000-0003-2471-7498)

Professor of Computational Geosciences
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego

Prof. Philip England

Professor of Geology, University of Oxford
Homepage: www.earth.ox.ac.uk/england

Dr. Marianne Haseloff (0000-0002-6576-5384)

Lecturer, Northumbria University

Prof. Ian Hewitt

Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford
Homepage:  people.maths.ox.ac.uk/hewitt

Prof. Andrew Wells

Professor of Physics, University of Oxford
Homepage

Prof. Andrew Fowler

Professor of Mathematics, University of Limerick
Homepage:  
people.maths.ox.ac.uk/fowler

Prof. Sander Rhebergen (0000-0001-6036-0356)

Professor of Mathematics, University of Waterloo
Homepage: www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~srheberg

Dr. John Rudge (0000-0002-9399-7166)

Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
Homepage: 
www.johnrudge.com

Prof. Yasuko Takei

Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Tokyo/ERI

Prof. Andrew Wathen

Professor of Computational MathematicsDepartment of Mathematics
University of Oxford

Prof. Garth Wells (0000-0001-5291-7951)

Reader in Solid Mechanics, Department of Engineering
University of Cambridge, Homepage

Alumni and Former Members

Dr. Laura Alisic

Affiliated postdoctoral research associate, University of Cambridge
On to: position as research scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

Jane Allwright

NERC Research Experience Placement student
Project: Consequences of anisotropic viscosity in Poiseuille flow
Back to: Part IV of the mathematics tripos at Cambridge

Tong Bo

Summer research student, University of Oxford
Project: The melting column as a filter for trace-element heterogeneity of the mantle
On to: A PhD in the MIT/WHOI joint program.

Dr. Jonathan Burley (0000-0001-8081-3308)

ERC-funded DPhil 2017, University of Oxford
Project: Ice ages, sea level, and magmatism: coupled oscillations

Dr. Nestor Cerpa (0000-0003-0112-0138)

ERC & DCO Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford
Project: MOR volatile fluxes modulated by sea level variation
On to: Postdoctoral position at Univ. Montpellier

Tim-Frederik Dauck

NERC REP summer student, University of Oxford
On to: Part IV of the Cambridge mathematics tripos.

Owen Evans

Leverhulme research assistant, Summer 2013
Project: Generalised Stability Theory of magma/mantle dynamics
On to: Masters in mathematical biology at UCL

Peter Harvey

NERC Research Experience Placement, Summer 2013
Project: An experimental study of Tyndall figures
Back to: physics undergraduate at UCL

Ben Jackson

Summer Research Assistant
Project: Exercises for a textbook on two-phase magma/mantle dynamics.
On to: PhD in Fluid Dynamics, University of Cambridge

Dr. Tobias Keller (0000-0002-6121-5377)

ERC Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford
Project: Volatile transport in the mantle and lithosphere at MORs
On to: Postdoc at Stanford University

Dr. Teresa Kyrke-Smith

DPhil 2014, University of Oxford
Project: Coupled dynamics of ice sheets and subglacial hydrology
On to: Postdoc at the University of Limerick, then postdoc at the British Antarctic Survey

David Zhen Ning Liu

NERC REP summer student, University of Oxford
On to: Cambridge Maths Tripos Part III

Daniel Spencer (0000-0003-1814-964X)

DPhil 2021, University of Oxford

Project: Tidal dissipation and volcanism of Io 

On to: Research Scientist at Sagentia

Dr. Meng Tian (0000-0002-6094-923X) 

Deep Carbon Observatory PDRA, University of Oxford
On to: CSH Fellowship at Bern University Centre For Space & Habitability

Hanwen Zhang 

Summer research student, University of Oxford
Project: The reactive infiltration instability in a shearing porous medium
On to:  4th year of Theoretical & Applied Mechanics, Peking University

Dr. Andrew Turner (0000-0002-6094-923X)

ERC Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford
Project: Grain-size dynamics of the mantle and applications to MORs

Dr. Sam Weatherley

DPhil 2013, University of Oxford, Funded by NERC
Project: Reactive magmatic flow in a deforming mantle
On to: Postdoc at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland

Dr. John Crowley

European Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associate
Project: Ice ages, sea level, and magmatism: coupled oscillations

Adina-Erika Pusok

MSci 2012, University of Oxford
Project: Active convection beneath mid-ocean ridges
On to: PhD at University of Mainz, Germany.

Jesse Taylor-West 

NERC REP summer student, University of Oxford
On to: Part IV of the Cambridge mathematics tripos.

Jennifer Truby

MSci 2012, University of Oxford
Project: gas percolation through a visco-elastic medium
On to: PhD at Durham University, UK.

Current Members

Prof. Richard Foa Katz (0000-0001-8746-5430)

Group leader and Professor of Geodynamics, Univ Oxford
CVdepartmental homepage
Email: 
Tel: +44 (0)1865 282122s

Thomas Breithaupt

NERC DTP DPhil candidate, University of Oxford
Project: Microstructural evolution of deforming mantle rocks and implications for geodynamic processes

Luke Kearney

NERC DTP DPhil candidate, University of Oxford
Two-phase physics of salt tectonics
Co-supervised  by Chris MacMinn in Engineering

Dr. Yuan Li  (0000-0002-6444-6138)

ERC Postdoctoral fellow, Univ Oxford
Project: Magma-assisted tectonics of continental rifts and mid-ocean ridges
Email: yuan.li@earth.ox.ac.uk

Joel-Pascal Ntwali N’Konzi 

Mfano summer intern, Univ Oxford
Project: Stability analysis of plastic localisation

Dr. David Rees Jones (0000-0001-8698-401X)

Lecturer in the Vortex Dynamics Group,
School of Mathematics & Statistics, University of St. Andrews
Homepage: www-vortex.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~dwrj1/ 

Prof. David May (0000-0003-2471-7498)

Professor of Computational Geosciences
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego

Prof. Philip England

Professor of Geology, University of Oxford
Homepage: www.earth.ox.ac.uk/england

Dr. Marianne Haseloff (0000-0002-6576-5384)

Lecturer, Northumbria University

Prof. Ian Hewitt

Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford
Homepage:  people.maths.ox.ac.uk/hewitt

Prof. Andrew Wells

Professor of Physics, University of Oxford
Homepage

Prof. Andrew Fowler

Professor of Mathematics, University of Limerick
Homepage:  
people.maths.ox.ac.uk/fowler

Prof. Sander Rhebergen (0000-0001-6036-0356)

Professor of Mathematics, University of Waterloo
Homepage: www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~srheberg

Dr. John Rudge (0000-0002-9399-7166)

Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
Homepage: 
www.johnrudge.com

Prof. Yasuko Takei

Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Tokyo/ERI

Prof. Andrew Wathen

Professor of Computational MathematicsDepartment of Mathematics
University of Oxford

Prof. Garth Wells (0000-0001-5291-7951)

Reader in Solid Mechanics, Department of Engineering
University of Cambridge, Homepage

Alumni and Former Members

Dr. Laura Alisic

Affiliated postdoctoral research associate, University of Cambridge
On to: position as research scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

Jane Allwright

NERC Research Experience Placement student
Project: Consequences of anisotropic viscosity in Poiseuille flow
Back to: Part IV of the mathematics tripos at Cambridge

Tong Bo

Summer research student, University of Oxford
Project: The melting column as a filter for trace-element heterogeneity of the mantle
On to: A PhD in the MIT/WHOI joint program. 

Dr. Jonathan Burley (0000-0001-8081-3308)

ERC-funded DPhil 2017, University of Oxford
Project: Ice ages, sea level, and magmatism: coupled oscillations

Dr. Nestor Cerpa (0000-0003-0112-0138)

ERC & DCO Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford
Project: MOR volatile fluxes modulated by sea level variation
On to: Postdoctoral position at Univ. Montpellier

Tim-Frederik Dauck

NERC REP summer student, University of Oxford
On to: Part IV of the Cambridge mathematics tripos.

Owen Evans

Leverhulme research assistant, Summer 2013
Project: Generalised Stability Theory of magma/mantle dynamics
On to: Masters in mathematical biology at UCL 

Peter Harvey

NERC Research Experience Placement, Summer 2013
Project: An experimental study of Tyndall figures
Back to: physics undergraduate at UCL 

Ben Jackson

Summer Research Assistant
Project: Exercises for a textbook on two-phase magma/mantle dynamics.
On to: PhD in Fluid Dynamics, University of Cambridge

Dr. Tobias Keller (0000-0002-6121-5377)

ERC Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford
Project: Volatile transport in the mantle and lithosphere at MORs
On to: Postdoc at Stanford University

Dr. Teresa Kyrke-Smith

DPhil 2014, University of Oxford
Project: Coupled dynamics of ice sheets and subglacial hydrology
On to: Postdoc at the University of Limerick, then postdoc at the British Antarctic Survey

David Zhen Ning Liu

NERC REP summer student, University of Oxford
On to: Cambridge Maths Tripos Part III

Daniel Spencer (0000-0003-1814-964X)

DPhil 2021, University of Oxford

Project: Tidal dissipation and volcanism of Io 

On to: Research Scientist at Sagentia

Dr. Meng Tian (0000-0002-6094-923X) 

Deep Carbon Observatory PDRA, University of Oxford
On to: CSH Fellowship at Bern University Centre For Space & Habitability

Hanwen Zhang 

Summer research student, University of Oxford
Project: The reactive infiltration instability in a shearing porous medium
On to:  4th year of Theoretical & Applied Mechanics, Peking University

Dr. Andrew Turner (0000-0002-6094-923X)

ERC Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford
Project: Grain-size dynamics of the mantle and applications to MORs

Dr. Sam Weatherley

DPhil 2013, University of Oxford, Funded by NERC
Project: Reactive magmatic flow in a deforming mantle
On to: Postdoc at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland

Dr. John Crowley

European Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associate
Project: Ice ages, sea level, and magmatism: coupled oscillations

Adina-Erika Pusok

MSci 2012, University of Oxford
Project: Active convection beneath mid-ocean ridges
On to: PhD at University of Mainz, Germany.

Jesse Taylor-West 

NERC REP summer student, University of Oxford
On to: Part IV of the Cambridge mathematics tripos. 

Jennifer Truby

MSci 2012, University of Oxford
Project: gas percolation through a visco-elastic medium
On to: PhD at Durham University, UK.

July 2019. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Meng Tian (PDRA), Hanwen Zhang (visiting student), Dan Spencer (PhD student), Marianne Haseloff (PDRA), Tom Breithaupt (PhD student), Adina Pusok (PDRA), Dave May (affiliate). Photo: Sam Cornish.

July 2018. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Tom Breithaupt (PhD student), Dan Spencer (PhD student), Marianne Haseloff (PDRA), David Rees Jones (PDRA), Dave May (affiliate), Parker Liautaud (visiting PhD student). Not pictured: David Liu (summer student), Meng Tian (PDRA), Jamie Parkinson (PhD student). Photo: Sam Cornish.

July 2017. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Meng Tian (PDRA), Nestor Cerpa-Gilvonio (PDRA), Tong Bo (summer research student), Dave May (affiliate). Not pictured: David Rees Jones (PDRA), Jonathan Burley (PhD student), Jamie Parkinson (PhD student)

July 2016. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Meng Tian (PDRA), Jonathan Burley (PhD student), David Rees-Jones (PDRA), Tobias Keller (PDRA), Ben Jackson (research assistant), Grace Manley (MSc student), Andrew Turner (PDRA). 

October 2015. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Jonathan Burley (PhD student), Lewis Carney (MSc student), David Rees-Jones (PDRA), Tobias Keller (PDRA), Andrew Turner (PDRA), Katie Kumamoto (visiting PhD student), Jessica Warren (visiting professor) 

October 2014. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Laura Alisic (collaborator, PDRA Cambridge), Sander Rhebergen (PDRA), Andrew Turnder (PDRA), Tobias Keller (PDRA), Jonathan Smith (MSc student), Jonathan Burley (PhD student) 

July 2014. From left: [front row] Richard Katz (PI), Sjoerd Hack (visiting student), Teresa Kyrke-Smith (recent alum), Jesse Taylor-West (summer research student), Andrew Turner (PDRA); [back row] Tim-Frederik Dauck (summer research student), Tobias Keller (PDRA), Sander Rhebergen (PDRA), Jonathan Burley (DPhil candidate)

October 2013. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Jonathan Burley (DPhil candidate), Sander Rhebergen (PDRA), Tobias Keller (PDRA), Teresa Kykre-Smith (DPhil candidate), Andrew Turner (PDRA)

June 2013. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Owen Evans (research assistant), Sander Rhebergen (PDRA), Peter Harvey (summer research student), Teresa Kykre-Smith (DPhil candidate) 

August 2012. From left: Richard Katz (PI), John Crowley (PDRA), Michael Ferguson (undergrad summer research student), Sander Rhebergen (PDRA), Sam Weatherley (DPhil candidate), Teresa Kykre-Smith (DPhil candidate) 

October 2011. From left: Richard Katz (PI), Jen Truby (MSc candidate), Teresa Kyrke-Smith (DPhil candidate), Adina-Erika Pusok (MSc candidate), Sam Weatherley (DPhil candidate), Yasuko Takei (Visiting professor).