External links
- Official website: www
.plymouth .ac .uk /staff /richard-davies
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Richard Davies | |
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| Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth | |
| Assumed office October 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Judith Petts |
| Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Global at Newcastle University | |
| In office 2014 –October 2024 | |
| Succeeded by | Chris Whitehead |
| Personal details | |
| Alma mater | University of Reading (BSc),University of Edinburgh (PhD) |
| Profession | Geologist |
| Website | www |
Richard Davies is a British geologist,academic and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth.
As of 2024,he has published over 100 academic papers,and is an expert on fracking,geology and environmental sciences. [1]
Davies attended Loughborough Grammar School [2] before achieving his BSc in Geology from the University of Reading in 1990,and his PhD in Geology from the University of Edinburgh in 1995. [3]
Davies began his career working at various oil and gas companies, [4] and stopped working in this industry to pursue research into climate change in 2003. [5]
Davies was the director of the Durham Energy Institute at Durham University from 2009–2013. [6]
In 2006,Davies led a team to identify the cause of the Lusi mud volcano eruption,resulting in the oil and gas company paying millions in compensation to the over 50,000 affected local residents. [7] In 2011,he co-authored a paper further investigating the eruption. [8]
Davies became a professor of geo-energy [9] and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Global at Newcastle University in 2014. [10] Whilst at Newcastle,he continued his work on Fracking research which resulted in heavy criticism against him. [11] Davies was accused of being biased towards fracking companies,a claim which he rejected. [12]
In 2017,Davies received a commendation by the John Maddox Prize. [13] [14]
During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown,Davies researched the linked between Methane hydrate and the release of methane from the seafloor. [15] [16] The biggest form of mobile carbon on earth,Davies showed that vast quantities of it could be vulnerable to thaw and melt releasing methane into the ocean and potentially the atmosphere. [17] [18]
Davies was appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth in October 2024 following Judith Petts's retirement. [5] In his first official message to the University,Davies said that he would "put students first" and that he is "optimistic about the future". [19] In May 2025,as his role as vice-chancellor at the university of Plymouth,Davies proposed hundreds of staff cuts and multiple course closures in the school of art design and architecture. [20] [21] Many students have petitioned against this,and the outcome is yet to be finalised. [22]
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