Ralph Fyfe

Professor Ralph Fyfe, currently at the University of Plymouth, serves as Professor in Geospatial Information and Associate Dean of Research for Science and Engineering. His research focuses on reconstructing past environmental change, with applications to conservation and climate change mitigation.

• Interdisciplinary expertise in archaeology, ecology, and climate science
• Lead Leverhulme Trust projects: "Deforesting Europe," "Transforming the Face of the Mediterranean," and "Reclaiming Exmoor"
• Contributed to over 115 academic papers and book chapters

Ralph’s work combines pollen-landscape calibration datasets to quantify historical land cover changes, revealing human-driven transformations dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. His research informs modern conservation strategies and has influenced UK National Park Authorities and COP26 climate policies.

Recent publications highlight collaborations with international teams on Holocene vegetation dynamics, megafauna extinction impacts, and climate modeling. Key outlets include Global Change Biology and Scientific Reports.

• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

He teaches GIS skills, palaeoecology, and employability skills, integrating fieldwork and problem-based learning in locations like Iceland and Dartmoor.