Professor Janine Kavanagh

Can you tell us a bit about your career?

I have always been curious about the natural world, and my unrelenting inquisitiveness and eagerness to travel and explore led me to choose Earth Sciences as my discipline. Having never studied the subject before, it was a rare moment of bravery (or recklessness?) when I decided to switch my undergraduate degree application at Bristol University from Mathematics to Geology, but I haven’t looked back since. Volcanology emerged as a subject I particularly enjoyed, as I could use the maths I loved and combine this with the fascinating insights that igneous rocks (crystalline magma) can reveal, to understand how and why volcanoes erupt. I then pursued a PhD in Volcanology, when I worked on a special type of volcano called a ‘kimberlite’ which erupts diamonds. I joined the University of Liverpool in 2013 as a Lecturer in Geology, coming back to the UK after a stint as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Monash University in Australia. I founded the Mechanical and Geological Model Analogues (MAGMA) Lab at Liverpool in 2014 and have since built it to become a state-of-the-art facility for laser imaging of geophysical experiments. In 2020 I was awarded an UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship focused on “modelling magma movement”. I was promoted to Professor and Chair of Volcanology at the University of Liverpool in 2023. I now lead a team of postdoctoral researchers, a technician, PhD students and Masters students who are all exploring important problems in Earth Sciences, from volcanic hazards to geothermal energy.

Why are you passionate about your subject?

Through studying and researching earth sciences I find myself constantly blown away by the beauty of our world and the huge energy involved in driving the geological and geophysical processes which shape it. As my career has progressed, I have moved towards research that aims to realise the practical applications of my work, so that the new understanding we uncover in our lab and in the field can be used to help mitigate volcanic hazards and enhance the efficiency of geothermal energy extraction. I’m eager to share my passion through teaching, outreach and public engagement activities, to engage and support a diverse group of next-generation earth scientist so they are motivated and skilled to tackle important future challenges for the benefit of society.

Find out more by visiting Janine's Department Webpage or her Personal Webpage.

Visit Janine's Group Youtube channel.