Professor David Pyle
Professor of Earth Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences; Fellow of St Anne's College
About
Professor David Pyle is a volcanologist who works on young and active volcanoes around the world, most recently in the Eastern Caribbean (Montserrat and St Vincent), Greece (Santorini) and Ethiopia. His research includes understanding the causes of unrest at volcanoes, the impacts of historical eruptions on the people who live near active volcanoes, and ways to reduce risk from future events. Much of Professor Pyle's work includes activities linked to wider public and community engagement around volcanoes and volcanic activity. He has curated public exhibitions, designed hands-on activities and exhibits, and written books both for children and general audiences on these themes.
Expertise
- Volcanoes
- Volcanic eruptions
- Impacts of volcanic activity
- Volcano forecasting and prediction
- Volcanoes in popular culture
- Natural hazards
Selected publications
- Science in a crisis: Assembling volcanic knowledge in twentieth century Montserrat (2025)
- From storytelling to resilience: A transdisciplinary approach to empowering children in disaster risk reduction (2025)
- Historical records of volcanic eruptions deserve more attention (2020)
- Volcanoes: Encounters through the Ages (2017)
Media experience
Professor Pyle has experience of working with the media, including live TV and radio interviews. In 2017 he was appointed as the first Academic Champion for Public Engagement with Research (PER) within the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division at the University of Oxford.
Recent media work
- Volcanoes: a curator's introduction (Boleian Libraries on YouTube, 2017)
- Gushing volcano forces Bali airport to stay closed for second day (Sky News, 2017)
- Mount Agung: Volcano Alert at Highest Level (BBC World Service, Newshour, 2017)
- Terrawatch: Mount Ontake eruption (The Guardian, 2014)
- Sending smells by text and other things you didn’t know about UK research (The Guardian, 2014)
Languages
English