Nelia Dunbar, PhD

What’s the work that you do?

I am a geologist. I’ve been working on active volcanism and interactions between volcanoes and ice in Antarctica since 1983. This work has involved extensive, remote field work on Antarctic volcanoes. One thread of study focuses on active volcanism, which provides insight into how volcanoes work, helping to understand and predict volcanic eruptions. I also carry out field mapping and sampling of volcanic deposits, and examining volcanic ash deposits in blue ice fields and deep ice cores drilled through the Antarctic ice sheets. This work informs us about ice sheet history and past ice sheet thickness.

What keeps you going?

I am at my best and happiest when living in a tent camp, with a small field team, in remote parts of Antarctica. The beauty, mystery and wildness of Antarctica are an incredible inspiration, as is doing field work on remote volcanoes and being the first people to visit and examine the rock outcrops that allow us to discover the volcanoes’ history. Living in this remote environment, and being able to focus all of my energy on geology, and basic living, is an incredibly luxury in an increasingly busy and distracting world.

What’s your message to the world?

When you get a chance to do something adventurous or exciting, like going on a trip to Antarctica, just say yes! Focus on the positive, and go for it.