Professor Jan Lindsay
Position: Associate Dean of Science (Research), School of Environment, The University of Auckland
Field: Volcanology, volcanic hazard and risk.
Professor Jan Lindsay holds an MSc in Geology from the University of Auckland and a PhD in Geosciences from the University of Giessen in Germany. She has over 15 years’ experience teaching about and working on volcanoes in New Zealand, South America and the Eastern Caribbean.
Eldfell volcano
Jan stands atop the Eldfell volcano above the township of Vestmannaeyjar on the Icelandic island of Heimaey. Eldfell, which means ‘fire mountain’, last erupted in 1973.
Jan is a New Zealand Earthquake Commission (EQC) funded Senior Research Fellow at The University of Auckland. She is a member of the School of Environment and is based in the relatively new Institute of Earth Science and Engineering (IESE). She is also the Editor-in-Chief ot the Journal of Applied Volcanology. Her focus is on building the university's capability in volcanic hazards-related research, particularly in the Auckland area.
Preparing a volcanic sample
Dr Jan Lindsay prepares a volcanic sample for carbon dating. Dr Lindsay is a volcanologist in the School of Environmental Science at The University of Auckland.
Jan studies all aspects of volcanoes, including the origin of their magmas, the deposits they generate and the hazards they pose. Her main areas of research and interest are the evaluation and communication of volcanic hazard, particularly in the Auckland volcanic field, the geology and hazards of volcanoes of the Eastern Caribbean and the volcanology of large calderas found in the Central Andes of South America. She is has also been President of the Geological Society of New Zealand.
Outside of work, Jan enjoys trail running, reading, camping and going on adventures with her partner and two sons Tom and Leon.
Useful links
For a more indepth look at Dr Lindsay's work with DEVORA and the Auckland volcanic field try this NZ Geographic article, The Fire Beneath.
See her profile on the University of Auckland website and Take 10 with... Jan Lindsay.
This article is based on information current in 2010 and updated in 2020.
