معرفی
Alison MacLeod is an Associate Professor in the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Reading, where she serves as Deputy School Director of Teaching and Learning and module convenor for Research Training for Geography and Environmental Science. She conducts research on abrupt past environmental and climate change during the Quaternary period using high-resolution lake sediment records, tephrochronology, and advanced chronological methods.
- University: University of Reading
- School: School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science
- Academic Rank: Associate Professor
- Role: Deputy School Director of Teaching and Learning
- Teaching: Geomorphology, Natural Hazards, Research Training, Dissertation Supervision
Alison’s research focuses on reconstructing abrupt climate and environmental changes during the Quaternary, particularly through the analysis of annually resolved lake sediment records. Her work integrates tephrochronology, sedimentology, and geochronological techniques such as radiocarbon dating and Bayesian age modeling to understand landscape responses to rapid climatic shifts in regions like the UK and Sweden. She applies novel methods like XRF core scanning to generate high-resolution datasets that inform climate models and improve predictions of future climate impacts.
Her recent publications span high-impact journals including Nature Ecology & Evolution, Science, and Quaternary Science Reviews, with a strong emphasis on tephrostratigraphy, paleolimnology, and glacial lake systems. The research shows consistent focus on refining chronological frameworks, correlating tephra layers across regions, and reconstructing paleoenvironments during critical transitions such as the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition and the Younger Dryas.
Scientific Awards and Recognition:
- Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship
Advising and Grants: Alison supervises PhD students at the University of Reading, Plymouth, and Royal Holloway, University of London. Her research has been supported through prestigious fellowships and collaborative projects focused on Quaternary climate dynamics. She has contributed to major interdisciplinary initiatives such as the INTIMATE project, integrating ice-core, marine, and terrestrial records for precise event stratigraphy.
Labs and Research Groups: Alison is affiliated with the Environmental Science Research Division at the University of Reading, contributing to research in paleoenvironmental change and Quaternary science. Her work involves collaboration with international teams analyzing distal tephra records and glacial lake sediments.
