Current Masters, PhD and Postdoctoral Students & Projects

John is the principal supervisor for the following 6 current PhD students:

Kirsten Hunter: Evaluating the geological, geomorphic and geophysical evidence for relocating Odysseus'homeland, "Ancient Ithaca" (2007-10; Fugro-funded NERC CASE studentship)

Ryan Williams: Role of extensional fault growth and linkage in governing petroleum prospectivity in the East Shetland Basin (2008-2011; Valiant Petroleum & Petrofac-funded studentship)

Rachel Jamieson: Controls on the nature and distribution of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PTEM) in the Central North Sea (2008-11; British University Funding Initiative Award with the British Geological Survey)

Marta Swierczek: Role of the Base Permian Unconformity in controlling Carboniferous reservoir prospectivity in the Southern North Sea (2007-10; ECOSSE Studentship based at Heriot-Watt University)

Mark Beaumont: Controls on the structural and stratigraphic development of the Cameroon Volcanic Line, West Africa (2009-12; NERC Studentship)

Rachel Brackenridge: Controls on the structural and stratigraphic development of the Gulf of Cadiz (2010-12; ECOSSE Studentship based at Heriot-Watt University)

John is the principal supervisor for the following 3 MSc students:

Gustavo Guariguata: Use of 3D seismic volumes to evaluate the nature, timing and implications of structural deformation in the Inner Moray Firth (2009-10; Self-Funded)

Alegria Hinestrosa: Controls on the Distribution of Werrahalit pods in the greater Leman area of the Southern North Sea: Implications for Gas Prospectivity (2009-10; Self-Funded). "Turning bunkers into molehills along the Rotliegend Group, Leman Sandstone Formation play fairway"

Anna Brookfield: Evaluating the 3D seismic anatomy of a strike-slip zone (2009-10; University of Edinburgh MSci project).

John is the principal supervisor for the following PGRA student:

Nikos Lykakis: Evaluating structural controls on Fulmar Sandstone Formation reservoir development in the Centurion Area of the Central North Sea (2009-10; FirstOil Funded).

Former Masters, PhD and Postdoctoral Students & Projects

Since joining The University of Edinburgh in 1989, John has been the principal supervisor for the following PhD students:

Ken Thomson: Tertiary tectonics and uplift of the Inner Moray Firth and adjacent areas (1990-93; Shell-Esso-funded). Until his untimely death in 2008, Ken was a Lecturer at The University of Birmingham.

Kevin Stephen: Controls on sedimentary dispersal patterns, Inner Moray Firth Basin (1990-93; Shell-Esso-funded). Kevin teaches Physics at Altrincham Grammar School.

Jonathan Wilson: Origin and controls on Oligo-Miocene development of the Meso-Hellenic Intermontane basin, Greece (1990-93; Shell Scholarship). Jon has worked for ExxonMobil since graduating in 1993

Richard Davies: Tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the south-west Outer Moray Firth (1991-94; Amerada Hess-funded). Richard worked for ExxonMobil before taking a Lectureship at The University of Wales. He is now a Professor and the Director of CEREES at The University of Durham

Jonathon Fleming: Use of seismic and sequence stratigraphic methods in determining controls on Tertiary sediment dispersal patterns, North Sea (1991-94; Oryx Energy-funded). Jonathon is Head of Business Development at Drax Power Limited

Neil McMahon: The role of uplifts in controlling North Atlantic rifting and sedimentation (1992-95; BP Exploration Studentship). Neil is now a Senior Research Analyst in the Global Integrated Oils Group at Sanford C Bernstein Limited

Sarah Johnston: Tectono-Stratigraphic Evolution of the Clair oilfield, NW Shetlands (1993-96; BP Exploration Award)

Alison Sowerbutts: Coeval Oligo-Miocene (syn-rift) extension, sedimentation and arc magmatism in Sardinia [1994-97; NERC Award]. Alison works for the British Geological Siurvey at Murchison House in Edinburgh

Aileen McLeod: The control of fault array evolution on sediment dispersal and footwall degradation in rift systems. (NERC CASE Award with Shell/Esso, Statoil, Kerr-McGee, Texaco and the Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme; 1996-99)

Douglas Paton: Basement control on Gondwana continental break-up in the South Atlantic. (NERC CASE Award with the Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme; 1998-2001). Douglas is now runs MSc in Structural Geology at The University of Leeds

Nadia Al-Abry: The role of active normal faulting in the evolution of a deep water depositional system from the Northern North Sea. (PD Oman Studentship; 1998-2002). Nadia works for PDO in Muscat, Oman

Richard Hesketh: Biostratigraphic calibration and sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the Upper Jurassic section, Scotland and the North Sea. (NERC CASE Award with Amerada Hess and BP Amoco; 1998-2002). Richard is now a Senior Stratigrapher with Network Stratigraphic Consulting Ltd.

Marta Cardoso de Melo Guerra: Role of salt mobility (halokinesis) in controlling the structural styles and sediment dispersal patterns in the Santos Basin, offshore SE Brazil (2005-08; Petrobras-funded). Marta's project was funded by Petrobras and was co-supervised by Peter Szatmari at CENPES in Rio. She graduated from Edinburgh with her PhD in June 2009. Marta has returned to Brazil to resume working for Petrobras

Steven Sawyer: The characterisation of macro- and meso-scale tectonic inversion structures in the Norwegian North Sea (2005-08; Norsk ConocoPhillips-funded NERC CASE studentship). Steven is using subsurface data from the Norwegian sector of the Central North Sea and combining it with field observations made in the Uintah Mountains of Utah and Colorado to investigate the nature of faults and fractures that characterise tectionically inverted settings. Steven now works for ExxonMobil and is about to move to their Houston Office

Adrian Tuitt: Controls on tectonic inversion structures developed on the NE Atlantic margin (2005-08; British University Funding Initiative Award with the British Geological Survey). Adrian is using subsurface data from the UK Atlantic Margin to investigate the role that compression and structural inversion have had in the Cenozoic development and evolution of the UK Western Margin. Adrian is now a Postdoc in the Australian School of Petroleum in Adelaide.

Fridbjorg Biskopstro (MSc RHBNC, University of London): Controls on the Structural and Stratigraphic Development of the Faroe-Shetland Basin; (Statoil-funded Industrial Scholarship) The image to the right is a view taken in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. It illustrates the deeply incised nature of the Green River and represents a superb modern analog for the deeply entrenched incision that Fridbjorg found characterised the Paleogene of the West Shetlands Basin. Combining her seismic interpretation with well results demonstrated that the deeply incised, progradational deltaic sediments belong to the Flett Formation and the draping volcaniclastic sediments belong to the Eocene, Balder Formation. It is believed that the regressive-transgressive cycle seen in the Faroe-Shetlands area was related to initial doming above what was to become the Iceland hotspot. On completion of her PhD, Fridbjorg took up a job with Norsk Hydro in Stavanger
Jon Dunningham (MSci BA Cambridge): The long-term evolution of normal fault systems: Neogene to Recent development of extensional structures in the Kenyan Rift, East Africa (NERC CASE Award with Exxon-Mobil) The photograph to the right is an image looking east of one of the main N-S trending westerly-dipping extensional fault segments that form the central rift system in the Magadi area in Southern Kenya. Jon's project combined results from field studies in this part of the East African Rift with accurate Argon-Argon radiometric age dates obtained through the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) at East Kilbride to investigate and quantify the rates of fault growth and linkage on geological time scales. John was co-supervised by Professor Barry Dawson. On completion of his PhD, Jon took up a job with British Gas in Reading and has recently been working out of their Cairo Office in Egypt
Caroline Gill (MSci BA Cambridge): Controls on the rates of deformation and migration of the locus of extension in rift systems; (NERC CASE Award with Exxon-Mobil and Amerada Hess) The photograph to the right is a view (looking SE) of the neotectonically active W-E trending northward-dipping Helike extensional fault that is exposed on the southern side of the Gulf of Corinth in Greece. Note the prominent dip-slip corregations on the fault plane itself. Although primarily involving a subsurface analysis of fault activity in the East Shetland Basin, Caroline's project involved supplementary fieldwork in Greece results with a view to comparing the two areas and different datasets. On completion of her PhD, Caroline is currently working for Shell in Aberdeen
Nick Banbury (BSc Manchester; MRes Edinburgh): Controls on the Stratigraphic Architecture, depositional facies and sediment dispersal in salt-related settings (NERC CASE Award with Shell and Exxon-Mobil) The photograph to the right is an image looking north of the easterly-dipping Moab Fault (i.e. the plane in the centre that extends from top left to bottom right), one of a number of extensional faults that affect the Paradox Basin in Utah. Nick's project combined results from field studies in the Western US with seismic interpretation of halokinetic activity in the UK Central and Southern North Sea areas to investigate the role that evaporite mobility had in controlling observed structural geometries and depositional architecture. Nick was co-supervised by Bruce Trudgill formerly of Imperial College, London and now at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden. On completion of his PhD, Nick took up a job with Statoil in Stavanger
John has been the principal supervisor for the following ten Master of Research (MRes) studentships: Aileen McLeod: The temporal and spatial evolution of a zone of Middle-Late Jurassic fault scarp degradation, North Brent Field, UK sector Northern North Sea. (NERC MRes Award; 1995-1996) Barry Armstrong: The temporal and spatial evolution of clastic syn-tectonic sedimentation on and adjacent to a developing relay ramp: an example from the Suez Rift. (NERC MRes Award; 1996-1997) Andrew Robinson: Controls on the spatial and temporal development of subtle Eocene reservoirs, Western Platform, Central North Sea. (NERC MRes Award: 1997-1998) Susan Paterson: Evolution of Structural Styles in the Wessex Basin, Southern England. (NERC MRes Award; 1997-1998) Ruth Gilpin: Controls on structural geometries and sediment dispersal in dissected relay ramps: Evolution of the Baba Fault, eastern Gulf of Suez. (NERC MRes Award; 1997-1998) Estelle Mortimer: The role of evaporites in controlling depositional architecture and structural styles during extension and tectonic inversion: Development and evolution of the Cleveland Basin, NE England. (NERC MRes Award; 1999-2000) Nicholas Richardson: Controls on the Structural and Stratigraphic Architecture of Syn-Rift Sequences, North Falklands Basin, South Atlantic. (NERC MRes Award; 1999-2000). Nick works for Maersk in their Aberdeen Office Ivan Sandrea: Impact of regional Cenozoic tectonic activity on hydrocarbon prospectivity, Offshore Nile Delta, Egypt. (NERC MRes Award; 1999-2000) David Jones: The tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Northern Porcupine Basin, west of Ireland. (NERC MRes Award; 2000-2001). Dave works in Shell's Aberdeen Office Nicholas Banbury: The role of hanging-wall structure in thrust systems, examples from the South Pyrenean foreland fold and thrust belt, northern Spain (NERC MRes Award; 2000-2001). Nick works for Statoil in Norway Silje Kommedal (Visiting MSc Student, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)): Quantifiying Fault Displacement in Positively Inverted Structural Settings - Wessex Basin, Southern England. Silje now works for Talisman. The photograph to the right is a view (looking north east) of Alum Bay on the west coast of the Isle of Wight. The sedimentary section consists of steeply-dipping Paleogene strata that lie immediately to the north of a buried (blind) normal fault that experienced contractional reactivation (positive inversion) during the Early Cenozoic. Silje made use of 3-D seismic data (provided by BP Exploration and their partners) that extends from the Wytch Farm Field in the west to the Isle of Wight in the east to ascertain and quantify the role that the pre-existing extensional faults have had in controlling fault displacement histories during basin inversion. On completion of her MSc, Silje took up a job with a contractor company in Stavanger and is currently working in the North Sea

The following four students have carried out MPhil projects at Edinburgh under John's supervision:

Oscar Miron: Structural and Sedimentary Controls on the development and evolution of Early Cenozoic sequences, Faroe-Shetland Basin (Funded by Total-Elf-Fina; 1999-2000). Oscar works for Melrose Resources in their Edinburgh Office

Mahmud Ismail: Structural and Stratigraphic Development and Evolution of the Murzuq Basin, Libya (Funded by Lasmo Grand Maghreb; 2000-2002). Mahmud now works for BP

Mohamed Zaied: Tectonoc-Stratigraphic Development of the Hewett Field, Southern North Sea (MSc by Research in Exploration Geophysics funded by the Libyan ministry of education; 2006-2008). Mohamed now works for ExxonMobil and is based in their Houston Office

Hannah Sutill: Structure and sedimentology during growth of the Balkan thrust wedge, eastern Bulgaria (Melrose Resources-funded MPhil). Hannah integrated subsurface data from the Bulgarian Black Sea with field observations made in well exposed onshore sections to investigate the sedimentary development and evolution of the Balkan retro-arc foreland basin. She now works as a sedimentologist at BP in Dyce

The following people have been Postdoctoral Research Assistants (PDRA):

Dan Bishop: Controls on the Structural Configuration of the Central Graben of the North Sea (Supported by Conoco)

Derek Robeson: Hydrocarbon Habitat of the Firth of Forth (Supported by Conoco)

Sarah Prosser: Seismic and Sequence Stratigraphy of the Norwegian Shelf (Supported by the Petroleum Science & Technology Institute (PSTI))

Jonathan Turner: Subsidence History of the Moray Firth (Consortium Funded]

Ian Sharp & Sanjeev Gupta: Modes of sedimentation in extensional settings: Oligo-Miocene syn-rift sequences of the Gulf of Suez, Sinai, Egypt. (Supported by Norsk Hydro and Amoco)

Nancye Dawers: Controls on Mid and Late Jurassic subtle trap distribution and hydrocarbon prospectivity, UK Northern North Sea. [A NERC Realising Our Potential Award (ROPA); 1995-1998]

Aileen McLeod: Controls on the evolution of the Alwyn-Strathspey-Brent Fault Array [Supported by Shell Expro; 1999-2000]

Ben Clarke: Controls on structural styles, sequence stratigraphy and sediment dispersal patterns, Bangladesh. [Funded by Shell and Cairn Energy; May 2000-Nov 2002]

Richard Hodgkinson, Mark Tomasso and Mike Young: Controls on the structural evolution and basin-fill architecture of Permo-Triassic sedimentary basins, Northern North Sea [Funded by Total-Elf-Fina; October 2000-January 2003

Douglas Paton: Controls on Late Jurassic (syn-rift) normal fault growth and sediment dispersal in the Tampen area, North Viking Graben, Norwegian North Sea. [Funded by Norske Conoco and their license partners; January 2002-December 2003]

The following have been Research Assistants and have carried out research contracts under the auspices of the University's Edinburgh Research & innovation (ERI) unit:

Malachy McKibbin: Tectono-stratigraphic evolution and hydrocarbon habitat of the Forth Approaches basin (Supported by Conoco).

Nick Richardson: 2-D seismic interpretation and prospectivity assessment of the East Orkney and Dutch Bank Basins, North Sea (Funded by Shell Expro).

Nick Richardson: Controls on the Structural development of the Halten Terrace, mid Norway (Funded by Norske Chevron).

Nicholas Banbury: Structural Controls on Permo-Triassic basin development and sediment dispersal in the Tern-Eider-Cormorant area of the East Shetland Basin (Funded by Shell Expro).

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