Iain Stewart (geologist)

Stewart was born in 1964 in East Kilbride, in Lanarkshire,[6] to Sheena and Jack.[7] He has two younger brothers, Graeme and Frazer. He attended Mount Cameron Primary and then Claremont High School from 1976 to 1982. In an interview with the Glasgow Herald, Stewart revealed that he initially struggled with geology: "I was a middling student, never really at the top of the class, nor at the bottom. Which I think is good, in a way. When you're out there at the top, it can be quite isolating."[8]

Stewart was a child actor and holder of an Equity card. His first appearance on television came in 1978, in a BBC Scotland adaptation of John Buchan's 1922 novel Huntingtower.[9] Amongst his contemporaries at the East Kilbride Rep Theatre was the actor John Hannah.[10] Leaving acting behind, he studied geography and geology at Strathclyde University, graduating in 1986 with a first class honours Bachelor of Science degree. He obtained his doctorate, entitled "The evolution of neotectonic normal fault scarps in the Aegean Region" in 1990 at the University of Bristol on research into earthquakes in Greece and Turkey. In 1990 he began teaching geology at the West London Institute of Higher Education (WLIHE) in Osterley (occupying the Warden's flat with his wife for several years), and from 1995 at Brunel University due to its merger with WLIHE. After 12 years in London he moved back to Scotland to develop a new career as a science broadcaster. Nostalgic for Brunel, he said "And invariably, you move on to places that for all their benefits, seem surprisingly narrow, and more fallow, in comparison. In short, it was a remarkable place to be".[11] He moved to the University of Plymouth in 2004, later becoming Professor of Geoscience Communication, a position he believed to be unique in the world.[12] He left to become Jordan-UK El Hassan bin Talal Research Chair in Sustainability in 2021 on a four year secondment to the Royal Scientific Society, based in Amman.[13]

Stewart returned to television as an expert academic for Helike – The Real Atlantis, a 2002 BBC Horizon film about the destruction of the Greek city of Helike by earthquake and tsunami in 373 BCE, newly rediscovered in 2001.[14] This, he says, "gave me a hunger to get more geology on telly."[15] He featured in another Horizon film, on earthquakes, in April 2003,[16] before appearing as a team member in the fourth series of Rough Science (shown January/February 2004), a series where a group of scientists is challenged to solve tasks using only the resources of the local surroundings and a small set of supplies.[17] From there, built up a 15 year partnership with BBC Science presenting and hosting major Earth science documentaries and radio programmes until 2015, when Planet Oil aired on the BBC.

His main research interests are in the broad area of Earth hazards and natural disasters, particularly in terms of identifying past major earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions in the Mediterranean region.[18] Stewart also specialises in geology's effect on culture and religion throughout the history of the world.[19] He appears in other roles, including as a scientific commentator.[20]

He also worked on a project called Eden in 2011, where scientists wanted to recreate a project called The Bell Jar. If you put a mouse in the jar, it would die quickly, but if you put a mouse in the jar with a plant, it would live longer. In project Eden, Stewart was a mouse, and the bell jar was a box (8x2x2 meters) with plants such as banana trees. When he went in, they lowered the oxygen levels from 20% to 12%. The question was, could the plant produce enough to compensate for the lack of oxygen. The result was that they can do it. It means that the need for plants for living is high.[21]

Stewart was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to geology and science communication.[22]

He is a patron of the English Riviera Geopark, a member of the Scientific Board of UNESCO's International Geological Programme and chair of its 'Hazards' theme, a vice-president of The Geographical Association and its primary Geography 'Champion', a member of the Steering Committee of the IUGS-Commission on Geoscience for Environmental Management Working Group on 'Communicating Environmental Geoscience', a member of the UK National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement's Academic Action Research group, and a member of The Geological Society of London's external relations committee. He is a member of the board of directors at the Centre for Research into Earth Energy Systems, University of Durham.[23]

Honorary Degrees

• 2021 Doctor of Science (D.Sc) - Ghent University[24]
• 2014 Doctor of Science (D.Sc) - University of Glasgow
• 2013 Doctor of Science (D.Sc) - Kingston University

Awards

• 2018 UNESCO Chair in Geoscience and Society
• 2018 Geological Society of America, President’s Medal
• 2017 American Geosciences Institute, ‘Public Understanding of Geosciences’ award
• 2017 Geological Society of America, International Distinguished Lecturer
• 2016 European Federation of Geologists ‘Medal of Merit’
• 2015 Royal Society of Edinburgh Senior Public Engagement Award
• 2014 American Association of Petroleum Geologists ‘Geoscientists in the Media’ award
• 2014 ‘Scientia Medal’, University of New South Wales
• 2013 Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to geology and science communication.[22]
• 2013 American Geophysical Union(AGU) Atheston Spilhaus award[25]
• 2011 Edinburgh Geological Society – Honorary Fellow
• 2011 Geologists' Association - Honorary Life Membership
• 2010 The Geological Society of London– Honorary Fellow
• 2010 Royal Geographical Society ‘Ness Medal’ Royal Geographical Society for "popularising geography and earth sciences."[26]
• 2009 Geologists' Association - ‘Beverley Halstead Medal’

• Iain Stewart on Twitter
• Iain Stewart at IMDb
• Plymouth University page
• "The golden age of geology": Opinion piece by Iain Stewart at cosmosmagazine.com.
• BBC Website for How Earth Made Us.
• Iain Stewart in Hyde Park Civilization on ČT24 23.7.2022