Professor Alison Rust
M.Sc.(British Columbia), Ph.D.(Oregon)
Expertise
Use lab experiments, theory and rocks to study how volcanoes work: from magma and gases moving underground, the breaking apart of magma during explosive eruptions, and the dispersal of fine ash fragments through the atmosphere.
Current positions
Professor of Physical Volcanology
School of Earth SciencesHead of School
School of Earth Sciences
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
I study the dynamics of volcanic processes using a combination of laboratory experiments, theoretical fluid mechanics, fieldwork and petrology. Current projects include the effects of crystals and bubbles on magma convection, the origins of acoustic and seismic oscillations at volcanoes, and mechanisms and consequences of gas movement through magmas.
My research is motivated by volcanic problems but there are broader applications. I like to work with geoscientists, mathematicians and engineers to explore connections between environmental, geophysical and industrial issues.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Wasting Time: Anthropocene Stories and Practices
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
An interdisciplinary project exploring 3 questions, revolving around the central theme of waste:
How have different disciplines and creative practices approached the multiple temporalities of the Anthropocene?
What creative techniques can…Managing organisational unit
Department of History (Historical Studies)Dates
01/02/2024 to 01/07/2024
Copper Basins Exploration Science (CuBES) - A Mineral Systems Approach
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Earth SciencesDates
01/01/2020 to 04/01/2025
From arc magmas to ore systems (FAMOS)
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Earth SciencesDates
01/05/2017 to 31/12/2022
Petrology monitoring at Popocatepetl volcano, Mexico, a combined textural and geochemical study
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Earth SciencesDates
01/10/2015 to 01/01/2016
Archival evidence of volcano-climate interactions
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
A beautiful image of Mt. Tungurahua, Ecuador, erupting on the 23rd April 1773 is from a report on the event submitted to the Spanish Crown by officials in the colony.…Managing organisational unit
Dates
01/01/2011 to 01/01/2012
Thesis supervisions
Understanding particle size distributions to improve ash dispersal modelling
Supervisors
Silicic Eruptive Transitions of Laguna del Maule
Supervisors
Causes and Consequences of Hazardous Lava-Water Interactions, with Particular Focus on Rootless Eruptions
Supervisors
Sensitivity of resuspended ash forecasts to topography
Supervisors
Exploring differential erosion patterns using volcanic edifices as a proxy in South America
Supervisors
Syn-eruptive crystallisation in silicic magmas
Supervisors
The effects of large tectonic earthquakes on transcrustal magmatic systems
Supervisors
From needles to plates
Supervisors
Experimental investigations into immersive ice nucleation
Supervisors
Magmatic Evolution and Storage at Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand
Supervisors
Publications
Recent publications
09/07/20253D Model of the Shallow Crustal Density Distribution of the Krafla Volcanic System in Iceland
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
New insights into gas-driven phase segregation in andesitic enclaves from Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake), USA
Bulletin of Volcanology
Ascent of volatile-rich felsic magma in dykes
Geophysical Journal International
Fracturing around magma reservoirs can explain variations in surface uplift rates even at constant volumetric flux
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research
Heat transfer in pyroclastic density current‐ice interactions
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
Related people
Emeritus Professor Stephen Sparks
Emeritus Professor
School of Earth Sciences
Professor Jeremy Phillips
Professor of Volcanology and Natural Hazards
School of Earth Sciences
Dr Jonty Rougier
Honorary Professor
School of Mathematics
Professor Juliet Biggs
Professor of Earth Sciences
School of Earth Sciences
Dr Mark Gilbertson
Senior Lecturer
School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering