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Ben Edwards

Professor Ben Edwards
BSc PhD FGS FHEA

Professor of Engineering Seismology
Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences
Part of
School of Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Science and Engineering

Contact

Ben.Edwards@liverpool.ac.uk

Google Scholar

+44 (0)151 794 5151 Ext. 45151

Professional Activities

I act as consultant to industry on various large scale engineering projects related to seismic hazard and risk. Most recently, I have advised regulators, government and industry on issues related to induced seismicty and seismic hazard at the Preston New Road shale gas (fracking) site; UK and Spanish nuclear power plant sites; and the Groningen gas field (the Netherlands).

Selected Professional Activities

Conference Role

  • Seismic hazard and risk at the PNR Shale Gas Site, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (2020) (Conference Role)
  • Induced Seismicity Risk to the UK, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (UK Health and Safety Executive, Buxton, 2019) (Conference Role)

Editorship

  • Pure and Applied Geophysics (Invited Editor, 2017 - 2021) (Editorship)

Expert Opinion

  • Scientific Analysis of Induced Seismicity at the Preston New Road, UK, Shale Gas Site (PNR-1z), Invited (UK Oil and Gas Authority, 2019 - 2020) (Expert Opinion)
  • Hazard and Risk Assessment – Induced Seismicity at the Preston New Road, UK, Shale Gas Site PNR-2, Invited (UK Oil and Gas Authority, 2019 - 2021) (Expert Opinion)
  • Bradwell B Nuclear Power Station Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment, Invited (2018 - 2019) (Expert Opinion)
  • Probabilistic Asessment of Seismic Hazard for Nuclear Power Station Sites in Spain (Iberdola), Invited (Iberdrola (Spain), 2016 - 2018) (Expert Opinion)

External Administrative or Committee Role

  • UK Academic Representative of the European Seismological Commission Induced Seismicity Working Group, Invited (2020 - present) (External Administrative or Committee Role)

Internal Administrative or Committee Role

  • Admissions Tutor Geophysics (School / Institute, 2020 - present) (Internal Administrative or Committee Role)
  • Programme Director Geophysics (School / Institute, 2020 - present) (Internal Administrative or Committee Role)

Conference Roles

  • Winter School on Engineering Seismology, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Universite Grenoble Alpes, 2022)
  • Seismic hazard and risk at the PNR Shale Gas Site, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (2020)
  • Commission of Atomic and Alternative Energies (Cadarache CEA) Workshop – Benchmark Tests., by Invitation (Cadarache, CEA, France, 2019)
  • Induced Seismicity Risk to the UK, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (UK Health and Safety Executive, Buxton, 2019)
  • Cadarache (CEA) Workshop on Generalised Inversion (Cadarache, France, 2018)
  • European ground motion models from the past to the future: Lessons learned and new trends., Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (uropean Center for Geodynamics and Seismology (ECGS) and the National Museum of Natural History of Luxembourg (NMNH)., 2016)

Editorships

  • Pure and Applied Geophysics (Invited Editor, 2017 - 2021)

Event Roles

  • Urbasis Spring School, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Workshop, Porquerolles, France, 2023)
  • Open Source Coding Workshop, by Invitation (Workshop, Liverpool, 2022)
  • Keynote Talk at Liverpool Geological Society, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Talk/Lecture, 2022)
  • Induced Seismicity Workshop (Workshop, 2021)
  • EU URBASIS WP2 Workshop (Workshop, Online, 2021)
  • URBASIS WP2 November 2020 Meeting (Workshop, 2020)

Examination Roles

  • University of Strathclyde, PhD (2021)
  • University of Iceland, PhD (2019)
  • University of Liverpool, PhD (2015 - present)

Expert Opinions

  • UKRI Geohazards Scoping Workshop, Invited (UK Research and Innovation, 2023)
  • BEIS Round Table Meeting on Induced Seismicity/Fracking, Invited (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, 2022 - 2023)
  • Seismic Hazard for South African Nuclear Power, Invited (Eksom, 2022)
  • Seismic Characterization Project of the Spanish Nuclear Power Plants – Site Damping, Invited (Iberdrola (Spain), 2021 - 2022)
  • Scientific Analysis of Induced Seismicity at the Preston New Road, UK, Shale Gas Site (PNR-1z), Invited (UK Oil and Gas Authority, 2019 - 2020)
  • Hazard and Risk Assessment – Induced Seismicity at the Preston New Road, UK, Shale Gas Site PNR-2, Invited (UK Oil and Gas Authority, 2019 - 2021)
  • Bradwell B Nuclear Power Station Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment, Invited (2018 - 2019)
  • Probabilistic Asessment of Seismic Hazard for Nuclear Power Station Sites in Spain (Iberdola), Invited (Iberdrola (Spain), 2016 - 2018)
  • Assessment of Seismic Hazard for Moorefield (UK) Nuclear Power Station Site (SSHAC 2) (NuGen), Invited (2016 - 2017)
  • Assessing Seismic Hazard for Wylfa Newydd Nuclear Power Station Site (Horizon Nuclear Power/Arup, UK), Invited (Horizon Nuclear, 2015 - 2016)

External Administrative or Committee Roles

  • UK Academic Representative of the European Seismological Commission Induced Seismicity Working Group, Invited (2020 - present)

Internal Administrative or Committee Roles

  • Admissions Tutor Geophysics (School / Institute, 2020 - present)
  • Programme Director Geophysics (School / Institute, 2020 - present)
  • Assessment Officer (School / Institute, 2017 - 2020)
  • Lead - Liverpool Earth Observatory – School Research Centre (School / Institute, 2017 - 2019)
  • Impact Case Lead 'Earthquake hazard for Safety Critical and Economically Sensitive Structures' (Faculty, 2016 - 2021)

Media Appearances

  • Shaken Into Action, Materials World (Invited, December 2021)
  • What is fracking? Your need-to-know guide to fracking in the UK, Wired Magazine (Invited, September 2019)
  • Lancashire fracking: 2.9 magnitude tremor recorded, BBC (Invited, August 2019)
  • Fracking earthquake limits ‘may be too strict’, The Times (Invited, January 2019)
  • Press Conference on Induced Seismicity at Preston New Road, England, Science Media Centre, London (Invited, January 2019)
  • Experts call for review of quake limits on UK fracking., BBC (Invited, January 2019)
  • Lancashire fracking halted after 1.5 magnitude tremor, BBC (Invited, December 2018)
  • Interview regarding induced seismicity and its impact on local population, BBC Radio Lancashire (Invited, November 2018)
  • Interview on fracking in England, BBC North West Tonight (Invited, November 2018)
  • Interview on earthquakes and seismic shaking, ITV (Invited, October 2018)

Professional Body Memberships

  • (Fellow, 2018 - present)
  • (Fellow, 2018 - present)
  • (Peer Review College Member, 2016 - present)
  • Seismological Society of America (Member, 2004 - present)