Earth Sciences Professor named as Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellow

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s National Academy has announced its 2022 intake of Fellows.

We are pleased to share the news that Professor Bob Holdsworth from the Department of Earth Sciences has been named as one of the intake alongside a range of academic and artistic minds.

Also being afforded the honour are Annie Lennox OBE, Mark Logan the former Skyscanner Chief Operating Officer (COO) for his business expertise, and Professor Marc Turner of the University of Edinburgh and the Director at the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.

In total, over 80 people from the arts, business, public service and civil society as well as academia from Scotland and beyond have been recognised. They will be joining the RSE’s current Fellowship of around 1,700 Fellows, who are recognised as being some of the greatest thinkers, researchers and practitioners working in or with Scotland today.

Professor Holdsworth’s work is focused on the study of the structure, mechanics and transport properties of weak fault zones using fieldwork, microstructure and rock deformation experiments, with much of this work being carried out using the exceptional range and quality of Scottish geology.

_{Second year Durham students being trained at Achmelvich in NW Scotland}

Alongside colleagues, Bob has also recently established the Rock Mechanics Laboratory in the Earth Sciences Department.

He has pioneered studies of fractured basement reservoirs and the role played by pre-existing structures in controlling crustal deformation patterns at all scales. His international expertise in these areas has led to significant industry funding for his research, most notably in work related to the Clair oil field, the largest remaining asset in the UKCS. He is a founding director of Geospatial Research Ltd, a spin out company based in Durham since 2006 providing consultancy-based services to the global geoenergy sector.

Professor Holdsworth also provides expert advice to the nuclear industry (new builds, geological disposal of waste) through his membership of the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) Expert Panel in Seismic Hazard, contributing expertise on reactivation and capable faulting in the UK.

In March 2022, he became Chair of the Scottish Geology Trust, a national charity that aims to promote the exceptional geology and geo-heritage of Scotland.

Find out more

Learn more about the RSE 2022 Fellows  

Learn more about studying Earth Sciences at Durham

Learn more about the work of Professor Bob Holdsworth