Ralf Gertisser - Keele University
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Geography, Geology and the Environment

Dr Ralf Gertisser

Title: Senior Lecturer in Mineralogy and Petrology
Phone: (+44) 01782 7 33181
Email:
Location: William Smith Building : WS 1.42
Role: Admissions Tutor (Geography, Geology and the Environment)
EPSAM Postgraduate Committee Member (Geography, Geology and the Environment)
Contacting me: Try my office or email me to make an appointment
Gertisser_Ralf

I studied Geology at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and the University of Oregon, USA, and received a diploma degree (M.Sc.) in Geology from the University of Freiburg in 1996 with a thesis on the volcanological and geochemical evolution of Monte Fossa delle Felci (Salina, Aeolian Islands, Italy). In 2001, I obtained a doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in Mineralogy from the University of Freiburg with a study on the eruptive history and magmatic evolution of Merapi volcano, Indonesia.

After postdoctoral positions at the University of Freiburg and The Open University, I joined the School of Physical and Geographical Sciences at Keele University in 2005 as a lecturer in Mineralogy and Petrology.

Field Photograph I have a wide range of interests in the fields of igneous petrology and volcanology. At present, these are focussed on understanding the formation and evolution of subduction-related magmas, rates and timescales of magmatic processes using short-lived isotopes, magma chamber processes, volatile emissions and climatic impact of volcanic eruptions, emplacement mechanisms of small-volume pyroclastic flows and assessment of volcanic hazards. Current study areas include the Aeolian Islands (Italy), the Azores (Portugal), Santorini (Greece), the Sunda arc in Indonesia (Merapi) and the Chilean Andes.

I am a member of the Keele Petrology Group and the Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics (EPSAM).

Year 1

  • ESC-10033 : Geology: Rocks - Up Close (Module Leader)
  • ESC-10034 : Geology: Time and Space
  • ESC-10037 : Geology: Rocks, Minerals and Fossils
  • ESC-10045 : Introductory Geology for Environmental Scientists
  • CHE-10037 : Forensic Analysis

Year 2

  • ESC-20001 : Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
  • ESC-20032 : Environmental Analytical Methods
  • ESC-20039 : Advanced Structural Geology and Geological Mapping Training

Year 3

  • ESC-30009 : Natural Hazards
  • ESC-30013 : Earth System Science Research Project
  • ESC-30019/30035 : AES Independent Research Project
  • ESC-30026 : Independent Field Project
  • ESC-30030 : Advanced Petrology and Structural Geology Field Course
  • ESC-30033 : Volcanic and Magmatic Processes (Module Leader)
  • CHE-30011 : Forensic Science Team Research Project

Year 4

  • ESC-40004 : Geoscience Research Project
  • ESC-40005 : Research in Context
  • ESC-40006 : Research Report
  • ESC-40012 : MGeoscience: Volcanic and Magmatic Processes (Module Leader)
  • ESC-40015 : MGeoscience: Natural Hazards

Field Courses

  • ESC-10034 : Pembrokeshire
  • ESC-20001 : Shap, Cumbria
  • ESC-20010 : Iceland (until 2009)
  • ESC-20039 : North Wales
  • ESC-30030 : Mull, Scotland
  • ESC-30033/40012 : Volcanism of Southern Italy (Field Course Leader)

July 2001

Dr. rer. nat. (Ph.D.), University of Freiburg, Germany (awarded "with distinction" (summa cum laude))

Thesis title: Gunung Merapi (Java, Indonesia): Eruptive history and magmatic evolution of a high-risk volcano (translated title)

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J. Keller

Feb. 1996

Diplom (M.Sc.) in Geology, University of Freiburg, Germany

Thesis title: Volcanological and geochemical evolution of the Monte Fossa delle Felci (Salina, Aeolian Islands) (translated title)

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J. Keller

Sept. 2002 - Aug. 2003

Exchange Student, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA

Positions and Professional Experience

 

Feb. 2005 – present

Lecturer in Mineralogy and Petrology, Keele University, Keele, UK

Jan. 2006 – Dec. 2006

Associate Lecturer, The Open University, UK

Mar. 2005 – present

Visiting Research Fellow, Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, England

Aug. 2003 - Jan. 2005

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

Feb. 2002 - July 2003

EU Volcano Dynamics RTN Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK (Feb. 2002 - May 2003) and Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos Geológicos, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal (June 2003 - July 2003)

Aug. 2001 - Jan. 2002 

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry, University of Freiburg, Germany

Jan. 1997 - July 2001

Research Fellow at the Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry, University of Freiburg, Germany

Mar. 1996 - Dec. 1996 

Research and Teaching Assistant, Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry, University of Freiburg, Germany

Jan. 1995 - April 1995

Internship with the United States Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii, USA

May 1994 - June 1994

Internship with the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

Research Interests

My research interests lie in the fields of igneous petrology and volcanology. Present research integrates field, petrological, geochemical and geophysical methods in order to understand magmatic and volcanic processes in volcanic areas around the globe.

Current research projects focus on the following themes:

  • Volcanostratigraphy / field volcanology
  • Magma genesis and evolution in volcanic arcs
  • Rates and timescales of magmatic processes using short-lived isotopes
  • Magma chamber processes
  • Volatile emissions and climatic impact of volcanic eruptions
  • Generation, emplacement mechanisms and numerical modeling of pyroclastic flows
  • Volcanic hazards and risks

Present field areas include: Aeolian Islands, Santorini, Azores, Sunda Arc and Chilean Andes.

Recent Grants and Awards

2007

Funding Body: The Royal Society
Scheme: Conference Grants
Conference: Cities on Volcanoes 5 (COV 5), Shimabara, Japan
Amount awarded: £ 990

2007

Funding Body: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Scheme: New Investigator Grants
Project Title: New insights into the deposit architecture and emplacement mechanisms of block-and-ash flows using ground penetrating radar
Amount awarded: £ 69,694

2007 

Funding Body: The Nuffield Foundation
Scheme: Undergraduate Research Bursaries
Project Title: Reducing volcanic risk: Numerical modelling of deadly pyroclastic flows of Merapi Volcano, Indonesia, using the Titan2D program
Amount awarded: £ 1,360

2007 

Funding Body: The Mineralogical Society
Scheme: Senior Bursary Awards
Project Title: Understanding the eruptive behaviour of Merapi volcano, Indonesia: A case study of the 2006 eruption
Amount awarded: £ 300

2005

Funding Body: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Scheme: Isotope Geosciences Facilities Steering Committee / OUUSF
Project Title: The Holocene eruptive history of Merapi volcano, Java, Indonesia
Amount awarded: £ 7,500 (in kind)

2003

Funding Body: The Royal Society
Scheme: Joint Project Grants (PI: Prof. S. Self, The Open University)
Project Title: Assessing the threat of deadly ignimbrite eruptions, Terceira, Azores
Amount awarded: £ 10,000

Professional Memberships

  • Geological Society of London (Fellow since June 2006)
  • International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI)

Office