معرفی
Professor Colin Macpherson is a distinguished academic in the Department of Earth Sciences at Durham University, where he has served as Professor since 2014. His academic journey at Durham began in 2000 as a Lecturer, progressing through Senior Lecturer (2006-2009) and Reader (2009-2014) positions. He previously held postdoctoral positions at Royal Holloway University of London, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and University of Saskatchewan.
Macpherson's research focuses on subduction-related magmatism, light elements in magmatic systems, and magmatism and tectonics in SE Asia and the western Pacific. He has developed particular expertise in applying geochemical techniques to understand the origins of magmatism and its relationship to tectonics, with special attention to subduction initiation, lithosphere erosion, mantle melting, and crustal growth. His pioneering work in light element analysis earned him the Geological Society's Wollaston Fund in 2007, and he established Durham's stable isotope laboratory.
His extensive publication record spans from 1993 to 2025, demonstrating continued active research. His recent work shows increasing interdisciplinary reach, combining traditional geochemistry with archaeological applications through isotope analysis. His publications appear in top journals including Nature, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, and Science Advances, with notable recent contributions on slab melting processes, fluid pathways in subduction zones, and archaeological mobility studies.
- Wollaston Fund, Geological Society of London (2007)
- Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Durham (2004)
Macpherson has successfully led numerous research grants as Principal Investigator, including a Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2017) and multiple NERC grants. His leadership extends to departmental administration, having served as Head of Department (2014-2017), and to professional societies, where he chaired the NERC Isotope Geoscience Facilities Steering Committee (2012-2016) and co-led the Commission on Subduction Zone Magmatism (IAVCEI) for nearly a decade. He has advised several graduate students including Adam Welsh (PhD), Erin Skillicorn, and Rachel Egleton (MScR).
