Jonathan Redfern

Jonathan Redfern is a Professor of Petroleum Geoscience and Director of the Energy Geoscience MSc Programmes at the University of Manchester. He leads the North Africa Research Group (NARG), a consortium-funded initiative focused on North African basin studies, and co-founded the Centre for Masters Training in Energy Transition. His academic career began at Oxford Brookes University before joining Manchester in 2003, where he became a professor in 2006. He maintains close industry ties, supervising funded PhDs and consulting for energy companies globally.

Education: BSc Geology (Chelsea College, University of London, 1984); PhD in Subsurface Analysis of Permo-Carboniferous Glacial Sediments (University of Bristol, 1990). Former industry roles include geologist at Fina UK and Chief Geologist at Hess Indonesia. External roles include External Examiner at multiple universities and Editor-in-Chief of Petroleum Geoscience.

Research interests span sedimentology, glacial systems, basin analysis, and petroleum systems, with a focus on North Africa and SE Asia. He has pioneered studies on North African fluvial systems, glacial dynamics, and reservoir characterization. His work contributes to UN SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 4 (Quality Education) through training programs and industry collaboration.

Awards include Fellow of the Geological Society (FGS) and Chartered Geologist (CGeol). He has supervised over 30 PhD students, many now leading roles in international oil companies.

Teaching includes modules like Fundamentals of Petroleum Geoscience and field courses in NE England, Mallorca, and Morocco. Current research focuses on Cretaceous source-to-sink systems, climate impacts on sedimentation, and exhumed basin reservoir quality.