James Scourse

James Scourse is a Professor of Earth Systems Science and Head of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus. He holds a ScD from the University of Cambridge (2023) and has led departments at Exeter since 2017. His career spans roles at Bangor University (1985-2017) where he became a Professor of Marine Geology. He specializes in Quaternary stratigraphy, glacial dynamics, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

• Education: MA (Oxford, 1980), PhD (Cambridge, 1985), ScD (Cambridge, 2023)
• Leadership: President of the Quaternary Research Association (2008-2011), Director of the Climate Change Consortium of Wales (2011-2016)
• Awards: Royal Society-Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship (2008-2009), Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (2014)

His research focuses on marine geology, climate change, and oceanography, with emphasis on glacial retreat, isotope geochemistry, and bivalve-based climate proxies. He has pioneered methods like amino acid geochronology and utilized ancient DNA to reconstruct marine ecosystems. His work addresses societal challenges like climate action (SDG 13) and ocean conservation (SDG 14).

Recent projects include studying iceberg calving dynamics, Antarctic marine biodiversity baselines, and the socio-environmental impacts of industrial whaling. He advocates for expanded ocean monitoring networks like OneArgo to improve climate resilience.