David Pyle is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford. He saw his first volcano at the age of seven, in Chile. Later, he studied geological sciences at the University of Cambridge, followed by a PhD on the volcanic histories of Santorini, Greece, and Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania.
His research has focused on quantifying the scale of volcanic eruptions, and understanding their processes and impacts, starting both from the geological deposits, and from archival records. His work has ranged from studies of the eruptive histories of particular volcanoes to the global-scale; and, while most of his work has been on young or active volcanoes on Earth, he has also worked on questions relevant to the early Earth, and other planetary bodies.
David curated the exhibition, ‘Volcanoes’, at the Bodleian Library, Oxford in 2017, and has written two books. He helped lead two Royal Society Summer Science exhibits, ‘Fast and Furious’ in 2010, and ‘Sensing Volcanoes’ in 2023. He was awarded the Murchison Medal of the Geological Society of London in 2024.
Professional position
- Professor of Earth Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford
Subject groups
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Earth and Environmental Sciences
Geochemistry, Geology
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Other
History of science, Public engagement
