Uisdean Nicholson is an Associate Professor of Geoscience at Heriot-Watt University, where he leads the Seis-Strat-Sed Research Group and is Director of the MSc in Subsurface Energy Systems.

Uisdean completed his PhD at the University of Aberdeen in 2009, integrating sedimentological data, seismic reflection data and fluvial geomorphology to understand the interactions between tectonic and sedimentary processes at transform margins. After that, he spent 7 years working for Shell E&P (2009-2016) in various roles in Exploration, including postings in The Netherlands and Malaysia.

Since joining Heriot-Watt University in 2016, Uisdean initiated the Seis-Strat-Sed group which has included 4 postdoctoral research associates, 7 PhD students, >20 MSc students and 2 senior technicians on a variety of projects. He has managed research grants of around ~£1M from UKRI, GCRF, and industry and published 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals. His research has been widely covered in the media, including the BBC (TV, Radio), National Geographic, New Scientist and international media, leading to his team being shortlisted for the PRIME award in 2022 (Inspire category) and 2024 (Pioneer category). He is a native Gaelic speaker, and appears regularly on Gaelic radio covering various Earth and environmental science topics.

He has served on a number of NERC review panels, and was part of the Science Evaluation Panel for the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) from 2020-2023. He currently serves as the UK Alternate Delegate to the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ESSAC).

I have a wide range of research interests in Earth and environmental science. I use seismic reflection data, petrophysical data from wells, and sedimentological data from cores and outcrops to address the following main research topics.

Earth hazards:

• Asteroid impacts, investigating seismic evidence for impact kinematics and environmental consequences
• Earthquake dynamics and hazards, particularly the seismic architecture of subduction zones and transform margins and sediment input to subduction zones
• Submarine landslides, with an emphasis on preconditioning factors such as ocean currents and sediment flux

Marine geology:

• Ocean gateways and the interaction between tectonics and ocean circulation
• Ocean currents and their depositional record in contourite systems
• Sediment gravity flows in the deep ocean

Geoenergy:

• Carbon capture and storage (CCS), developing basin-screening methods to evaluate capacity and containment.
• New forms of sustainable energy, including geothermal and natural hydrogen