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Ian Main FRSE
Professor, Seismology & Rock Physics

Brief CV


Qualifications

1986 PhD in Seismology, University of Edinburgh.
1980 MSc advanced course in Geophysics, University of Durham.
1979 BSc in Physics, University of St. Andrews.

Professional Experience

2000- Professor of Seismology and Rock Physics, University of Edinburgh.
1989-2000   Lecturer, then Reader (since 1996) in Seismology and Rock Physics, University of Edinburgh.
1985-1989 Lecturer in Geophysics, University of Reading.
1982-1985 PhD Student at the British Geological Survey, Edinburgh.
1981-1985 Part-time lecturer in Physics, Napier College, Edinburgh.
1978 Carnegie Summer Scholarship for undergraduate research in Laser Physics

Awards

2010 Awarded a Scottish Government/Royal society of Edinburgh research fellowship.
2009 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
1997 Bullerwell Lecturer

Professional service

Current Member, Research Advisory Forum of the Scottish Energy Technology Partnership (ETP); Member, International Commission on earthquake forecasting for civil protection in Italy; Member, Royal Society of Edinburgh Sectional Committee in Chemistry and Earth Science.
2009 Chair, College of Science and Engineering review of non-specialist teaching in Mathematics.
2005-2009 Co-Director, Edinburgh Collaborative of Subsurface Science and Engineering (ecosse); Board Member, Edinburgh Regional Partnership in Engineering and Mathematics (ERPem)
2003-2007 Convenor, School of Geoscience Research group in Subsurface GeoScience (now Earth and Planetary Sciences; Member, School of GeoScience Executive Group; Member, School of GeoScience Research Strategy Group.
2000-2004 Convenor, College of Science & Engineering Computing Committee. Member, University Communications and Information Technology Committee, and the College of Science & Engineering Undergraduate Studies Committee.
1999-2003 Associate Editor, Natural Hazards.
1997-2001 Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research.
1994-1997 Member of the Editorial Board of the journal Geology.
1991-1995 Member, International Association for Seismology & Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI) Sub-commission on Modelling the Earthquake Source.
1990-1994 Member, IASPEI Sub-commission on Significant Earthquake Precursors.
1988-1989 Board member, International Seismological Centre (ISC) Governing Council.

Major invited lectures since 2000

2009 ‘Physics of time-dependent failure: a theoretical and laboratory-based perspective’ IASPEI 2009, Cape Town, South Africa.
2008 ‘Statistical properties of damage in volcanic materials’ ESF-FWF Conference in Partnership with LFUI on , ‘New challenges in earthquake dynamics: observing and modelling a multi-scale system, Obergurgl, Austria.
2007 ‘Statistical mechanics and earthquake statistics’ 5th International Workshop on Statistical Seismology, Erice, Sicily.
2007 ‘Fluid rock interactions: imaging reservoir response through flow rate inversion’. Euroconference on Rock Physics and Geomechanics, Erice, Sicily.
2006 'Maximum entropy production in earthquake dynamics, European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna, Union Session on Nonlinear Processes'.
2004 'Reaction rate theories and time-dependent damage of porous rock at low deformation rates', 5th Euroconference on Rock Physics and Geomechanics, Potsdam, Germany.
2004 'Scale free and scale-dependent properties of earthquake, fracture and fault populations: modelling and data analysis', 4th international conference on Fractals and Dynamical Systems, Munich, Germany.
2004 'Fluid-rock interactions during low-temperature deformation', 26th Nordic Geological winter meeting, Uppsala, Sweden.
2002 'Evolution of petrophysical properties during deformation', Gordon conference on Rock Deformation, Barga, Italy.
2001 'Mechanical and hydraulic properties of deformation bands', 44th annual Irish Geological Research meeting, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
2000 'Deformation and fluid flow in sandstones', 3rd Euroconference on Geomechanics, Bad-Honnef, Germany.
2000 'Earthquakes and critical point phenomena', NATO conference on Earthquake Occurrence and Earthquake Predictability, Sardinia, Italy.
2000 'Time-dependence in crack growth and earthquake statistics', 2nd European Science Foundation Conference on Natural and Anthropogenically- Induced Hazards, Aquafredda di Maratea, Italy.

Leisure Interests

I enjoy being a dad (and running dad's taxi) for Kirsty and Rebecca. I still revisit my past by playing the guitar in sessions in the old town, or running (very slowly) around the Meadows.

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