Rebecca is taking Earth Science sky high

Dr Rebecca Williams is a passionate volcanologist, dedicated to improving predictions to limit the catastrophic impact of volcanic eruptions. She works closely with an interdisciplinary team which includes engineers and computer scientists, to understand the internal dynamics of Pyroclastic Density Currents (PDCs). This helps to build better hazard simulations and saves lives. 

PDCs are deadly flows of ash, gas and rocks that form during volcanic eruptions. Travelling up to 200 km an hour with internal temperatures up to 1000 degrees centigrade, they can carry large, highly abrasive volcanic boulders which can deposit sediment across wide areas. Even small PDCs can travel tens of kilometres, over hills and barriers, and even over water. They pose one of the greatest volcanic hazards to ever-increasing populations near active volcanic centres and have been responsible for over 90,000 deaths since 1600 AD.

Rebecca wants to revolutionise our understanding of the dynamics of eruptions to limit harm to the communities living close to volcanoes. She also works hard to increase diversity in Earth Science. This diversity will help us to resolve our biggest global challenges.

Rebecca Williams

Dr Rebecca Williams

Reader in Volcanology

+44 (0)1482 465578 Rebecca.Williams@hull.ac.uk
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Rebecca is the principal investigator of the Catastrophic Flows Research Cluster, and founder of the VOICES (Volcanoes In Communication, Engagement & Society) Group. She’s a Reader in Volcanology and the Director of Research in the School of Environmental Sciences at Hull. Her research informs her teaching on our Geology and Geography degree programmes, particularly on geohazards, volcanology, igneous petrology and geological mapping.

Rebecca is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Earth Science, Environmental Science and Environmental Studies QAA Subject Benchmark. 

Rebecca is also committed to improving the student experience and served as the Associate Dean for Student Experience for the Faculty of Science and Engineering (2019-2023). She specialises in inclusive curriculum design and how geoscience education can meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

She leads the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion portfolio for the University Geoscience UK Executive. She is researching the historical roots of geology, which have led to the inequities in the discipline today. She has recently launched a new partnership website, www.decolearthsci.com, which provides resources to reveal the hidden history of Earth Science, decolonise the curriculum and increase diversity in the profession.

The website tells the stories of local guides and geologists who enabled colonial geological surveys. We wanted to find out who has been excluded from the story. We recognise that this history creates inequity in our discipline and we want to address this by feeding this new knowledge into the curriculum
Rebecca Williams

Dr Rebecca Williams

Reader in Volcanology

Image credit: The E.O. Teale Photo Collection, P776511, British Geological Survey

You descibed your research in Pyroclastic Density Currents as your 'life research'. Why was this?

Pyroclastic Density Currents are the most hazardous thing a volcano can do when it erupts. We must understand their behaviour to accurately predict their flow paths in order to mitigate their hazard and reduce the risk they pose to communities around volcanoes. Yet, we currently fail to do this as they are still poorly understood.

It was for this reason that I got into volcanology, and it’s a topic that is worthy of dedicating my entire career. With each package of work we do, we get closer to understanding their fundamental processes. I have great ambitions and want to develop the first instrumentation to be deployed into PDCs, which would revolutionise our understanding of their dynamics.

Some of your research examined communications in volcanic science. What did you discover?

When there is a volcanic event, the media will always come to me for information but I will always signpost to the right information source.  During a volcanic crisis, effective communication between the institution responsible for monitoring the volcano, the local government, civil defence authorities, the media and ultimately the public is essential to ensure the safe management of the crisis. A breakdown in communication between these groups of people can lead to unsafe behaviours during a volcanic eruption for example returning to an evacuation zone, mistrust in authorities and widespread anxiety. At its very worst, it can lead to a volcanic disaster.

The research examined the opportunities and challenges provided by social media. The good news is that the public can have direct access to a scientist and there can be rapid, global dissemination of data, information and advice during a volcanic crisis. One of the challenges is misinformation can spread rapidly.

What motivates you in your work?

For my work in volcanology, I am driven by a passion for understanding one of the most powerful natural processes on Earth. Aside from scientific curiosity, I am motivated by the need to understand volcanic processes in order to reduce their impact on people. The impact on people is the big motivator in the other work that I do. First, I am committed to ensuring that my research benefits society more broadly and reaches a wide audience.

Secondly, I believe that everyone has a responsibility to impact the lives of others positively and to reduce harm. This has led me to be an activist in academic/scientific spaces and try to positively contribute to the discourse on social justice where it intersects with either Earth Science, volcanology or university education. That’s how I found myself working on projects around science communication, equity, diversity and inclusivity and decolonisation.

What would say to anyone interested in studying Earth Science?

Everyone should be interested in Earth Science! It is the study of not only the planet we live on and its history (including how we came to be living on it), but it also explores what the future of the Earth is, how that is changing, and how we can live sustainably on it. It’s a subject that draws from all the other sciences to understand wide-ranging topics such as climate change, geohazards, the evolution of life, mountain building and the critical resources for our future.

There is a perception that Earth Science isn’t for everyone, and there is a historical legacy of exclusion of women, trans* and non-binary genders, ethnic minorities, and disabled people. This is changing, though. There is a drive to acknowledge and fix this legacy, to break down barriers, and to create more inclusive environments. Earth Science is for everyone, and it is critical for a wide diversity of people to study Earth Science so that we can meet global challenges such as the green energy transition, resilience to natural hazards and adaptation to climate change.

Community Impact

Rebecca appears regularly on television, radio and in other news outlets and publishes in the field of volcanology and equality, diversity, and inclusivity in Earth Science. Below are some recent publications: 

Walding, N., Williams, R., Rowley, P., & Dowey, N. (2023). Cohesional behaviours in pyroclastic material and the implications for deposit architecture. Bulletin of Volcanology, 85(11), Article 67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-023-01682-9

Williams, R., & Rowley, P. (2023). Anatomy of a volcanic eruption undersea. Science, 381(6662), 1046-1047. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk0181

Fernando, B., Giles, S., Jackson, C., Lawrence, A., Raji, M., Williams, R., …Dowey, N. (2023). Strategies for making geoscience PhD recruitment more equitable. Nature Geoscience, 16(8), 658-660. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01241-z

Dowey, N., & Williams, R. (2022). Simultaneous fall and flow during pyroclastic eruptions: A novel proximal hybrid facies. Geology, 50(10), 1187-1191. https://doi.org/10.1130/G50169.1

Rogers, S. L., Dowey, N., Lau, L., Sheikh, H., & Williams, R. (2022). Geology Uprooted! Decolonising the Curriculum for Geologists. Geoscience Communication, 5(3), 189–204. https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-2021-35 

The Decolonising Earth Science website provides a wealth of resources to decolonise the Earth Science curriculum. 

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