Postgraduate Student

Education & Biography

2023-Present: PhD Student – GeoEnergy, Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University, UK

2022-2023: Geophysicist and Geologist, Ruden AS, Norway

2020-2022: Geologist, Greenfield Environmental, UK

2018-2019: Msc Exploration Geophysics, University of Leeds, UK

2013-2017: BSc (Hons) Geology, University of St Andrews, UK

Research Interests

• Geothermal resource assessment, development and improvement.
• Application of geophysical methods for low-carbon energy solutions, critical metal exploration and carbon/hydrogen storage.
• Advancement of electromagnetic methods.
• Integration of machine learning in inversion and interpretation.
• Mineral extraction from geothermal fluids.

PhD project (EPSRC funded)

Title: “Geothermal energy prospecting in radiothermal granites in the Cairngorms, Scotland, using an integrated geological, geophysical and petrophysical approach”

Geothermal energy has significant potential to become a steadfast, low-carbon heat and electricity provider in the UK, evidenced by the new the United Downs Deep Geothermal Project, and the Eden Geothermal Project. Scotland’s Cairngorms host some of the highest heat producing granites in the UK. The development of projects in these Scottish granites has been hindered primarily by the uncertainty surrounding permeable (fractured and/or altered) zones. The detection of these features in the subsurface is non-trivial, given the depths involved (2-5km). Through collaboration with BGS and industrial partner Townrock energy, the PhD will consist of multidisciplinary research, studying these permeable zones. Electromagnetic deep-sounding techniques like the magnetotelluric (MT) method will be utilised and integrated with new data from a combination of field, lab and additional subsurface imaging methods. The goal of this research is to gain a greater understanding of the viability of a deep geothermal system within Scotland’s granites, to influence the next phase of geothermal energy exploration in Scotland, and to contribute valuable insights applicable to similar geothermal systems worldwide.

Email: isc2001@hw.ac.uk