Natalie Farrell

Natalie Farrell is a Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellow and Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Manchester's Earth and Environmental Sciences department, working in the Rock Deformation Laboratory. Her research focuses on fault zone dynamics, integrating experimental rock deformation with geochemical and microscopic analyses to model fluid flow and human-induced seismicity risks associated with geothermal and CO2 storage activities. She holds a PhD from the University of Aberdeen (2015).

• Education: Doctor of Science in Quantifying Fault Stability (University of Aberdeen, 2015)

Research interests include experimental rock deformation, structural geology, clay mineralogy, and petrophysics. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to clean energy (SDG7) and climate action (SDG13). Recent studies analyze fault zone permeability impacts from authigenic clays, reservoir quality changes near igneous intrusions, and foreland basin stress histories through stylolite analysis.

Notable publications explore fault damage zone porosity distribution (Otway Basin, Australia), strain localization detection via wavelet analysis, and permeability anisotropy in faulted sandstones.

• Awards: Early-Career Energy Geoscientist Medal (2023), Ramsay Medal (2015)

Her work bridges fundamental geoscience with applied challenges like geothermal energy optimization and earthquake hazard mitigation. Active in promoting gender equality in geoscience conferences through Tectonic Studies Group reports.