Professor Siwan Davies is a Geographer at Swansea University, internationally renowned for driving major breakthroughs in tephrochronology: the detection and chemical analysis of microscopic volcanic ash particles to reconstruct past climate changes.

She has pioneered the application of this technique to investigate the rapid temperature changes of the last 100,000 years from the evidence preserved within polar ice-cores as well as marine sedimentary sequences. She has secured many prestigious awards including the Philip Leverhulme Prize, European Research Council Starting Grant, and a Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Fellowship.

“I am delighted and honoured to be awarded the Frances Hoggan medal from the Learned Society of Wales for my research into past environmental change, which is so important for us all given the climate emergency. This award means a great deal to me as a Welsh academic, and I am proud to have been able to enjoy a wonderful academic career in Wales.

“I have been very lucky to have been inspired and supported by terrific mentors, collaborators, and team members from around the world, and I have enjoyed inspiring and supporting others in turn.”

Professor Siwan Davies