Name Derek Keir | Role Professor | |
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Derek Keir (umutima).flv
Derek Keir (born in Johannesburg, South Africa) has since 2015 been an associate professor of geophysics at the University of Southampton. In 2013 he received the Bullerwell Lecture award from the British Geophysical Association (BGA) for significant contributions to geophysics.
During 1998-2002 he read geology and geophysics at Imperial College London, gaining a first class degree. His PhD thesis conducted during 2002-2006 at Royal Holloway University of London was on the earthquake activity of the East African rift. In 2007 he moved to the University of Leeds as a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) research fellow. He moved to the University of Southampton in 2011 to start a lectureship. His major contribution to science has been to study how continents break apart by analyzing the earthquake and volcanic activity of the Afar Triangle. He has researched many volcanoes in Ethiopia and Eritrea, including Corbetti, Mount Ayalu, Adwa (volcano), Erta Ale, Dabbahu Volcano, Dallol, and Nabro Volcano. He has conducted much of his research in collaboration with Kathryn Whaler and Ian Bastow.