Juliet Biggs

Last updated
Juliet Biggs
Born
Juliet J. Biggs
Alma mater University of Cambridge (MSci)
University of Oxford (DPhil)
Awards Philip Leverhulme Prize (2018)
Scientific career
Fields Volcanology
Geophysics
Tectonics
Institutions University of Bristol
Thesis InSAR observations of the earthquake cycle on the Denali Fault, Alaska  (2007)
Doctoral advisor Barry Parsons
Tim J. Wright [1]
Website research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/juliet-j-biggs OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Juliet J. Biggs is a British geologist who is Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. [2] [3] Her research uses satellite geodesy and interferometric synthetic-aperture radar (InSAR) to understand the physics of the Earth's crust. She was awarded the American Geophysical Union John Wahr Award in 2017 and a European Research Council (ERC) consolidator grant in 2020.

Contents

Early life and education

Biggs has said that she liked science from a young age. [4] Her parents were both academic mathematicians. [4] She has said that she enjoyed visiting the Science Museum, London. [4] Biggs studied earth sciences as specialism in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge. In her first year of university, she got a summer research internship and worked on a research mission with academics at the University of Southampton. [4] She moved to the University of Oxford as a doctoral researcher, where she studied the earthquake cycle at the Denali Fault. [1] During her doctoral research supervised by Barry Parsons and Tim J. Wright  [ Wikidata ], Biggs used interferometric synthetic-aperture radar (InSAR) to determine strain around faults. [1] [5] This strategy has been adopted by InSAR researchers around the world.

Research and career

After her PhD and during her postdoctoral research, Biggs started working with satellite imagery to understand tectonic and volcanic regions. [5] [6] In 2010, Biggs joined the University of Bristol, where she was made a full professor in 2019.[ citation needed ] Her research investigates earthquakes and the earthquake cycle. She has studied dyke intrusions in the East African Rift and the development of new hazard assessments. Biggs has used satellite imagery to understand volcanoes all around the world, and has identified that several volcanoes previously considered dormant are in fact evolving rapidly. [5] [7] She proposed that this imaging approach could be used to forecast volcanoes that were at risk of eruption. [8] She used imagery from the Sentinel-1 to understand deformation around Mount Agung. [9] In 2020, she was awarded a European Research Council Consolidator Grant to image volcanoes using 'strain tomography'. [10]

Awards and honours

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interferometric synthetic-aperture radar</span> Geodesy and remote sensing technique

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar, abbreviated InSAR, is a radar technique used in geodesy and remote sensing. This geodetic method uses two or more synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images to generate maps of surface deformation or digital elevation, using differences in the phase of the waves returning to the satellite or aircraft. The technique can potentially measure millimetre-scale changes in deformation over spans of days to years. It has applications for geophysical monitoring of natural hazards, for example earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides, and in structural engineering, in particular monitoring of subsidence and structural stability.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Denali earthquake</span> 7.9 magnitude; November 3, 2002

The 2002 Denali earthquake occurred at 22:12:41 UTC November 3 with an epicenter 66 km ESE of Denali National Park, Alaska, United States. This 7.9 Mw earthquake was the largest recorded in the United States in 37 years. The shock was the strongest ever recorded in the interior of Alaska. Due to the remote location, there were no fatalities and only one injury.

James Anthony Jackson CBE FRS is Professor of Active Tectonics and head of Bullard Laboratories, Department of Earth Sciences, Cambridge University. He made his name in geophysics, using earthquake source seismology to examine how continents are deformed. His central research focus is to observe the active processes shaping our continents.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Biggs, Juliet J. (2007). InSAR observations of the earthquake cycle on the Denali Fault, Alaska. ox.ac.uk (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford. OCLC   500492540. EThOS   uk.bl.ethos.443578.
  2. Juliet Biggs publications indexed by Google Scholar OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. Juliet Biggs publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Anon. "Dr Juliet Biggs". bristol.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  5. 1 2 3 Anon (2012). "Dr Juliet Biggs". Astronomy & Geophysics. 53 (1). doi: 10.1111/j.1468-4004.2012.53136_10.x .
  6. 1 2 "John Wahr Early Career Award | AGU". agu.org. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  7. Anon. "Ground monitoring equipment deployed on two Ethiopian volcanoes showing signs of unrest". phys.org. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  8. 1 2 Anon (2014). "Bristol research wins Science of Risk prize". bristol.ac.uk. University of Bristol. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  9. Anon (2019). "Bali volcano satellite images | News and features | University of Bristol". bristol.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  10. 1 2 "ERC Consolidator Grants 2020" (PDF). europa.eu. 2020.
  11. Haworth, Richard (2014-02-16). "The Bullerwell Lecture". geophysics.org.uk. The British Geophysical Association. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  12. "Lloyds of London Science of Risk". bris.ac.uk. University of Bristol. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  13. Anon. "2018: Cabot Institute academics win Philip Leverhulme Prizes | Cabot Institute for the Environment | University of Bristol". bristol.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-21.