Phaedra Upton

Phaedra Upton serves as the Land and Marine Geoscience Theme Leader at GNS Science, New Zealand's premier geoscience research institute. With a PhD in Geology and background in Chemistry, she has established herself as a leading geodynamic modeler whose interdisciplinary work bridges geophysics, geology, and biological sciences. Her leadership emphasizes collaborative approaches and diversity of thought to advance scientific understanding of Earth's processes.

Dr. Upton's research spans multiple interconnected domains within Earth sciences, with particular focus on tectonic processes and their surface expressions. Her expertise encompasses geodynamic modeling, crustal deformation, active fault systems, landscape evolution, heat flow regimes, and the relationship between tectonics and biological evolution. She specializes in developing numerical models that integrate geological observations across disciplines to understand complex Earth systems, particularly in New Zealand's dynamic plate boundary environments.

Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent contributions to understanding New Zealand's tectonic framework, especially regarding the Alpine Fault and Southern Alps. Her work demonstrates an evolving research trajectory from fundamental geodynamic modeling toward increasingly interdisciplinary studies connecting geological processes with biological evolution and economic geology, particularly gold deposition systems. This integrative approach has resulted in publications in high-impact journals including Nature, Nature Geoscience, and leading geoscience publications.

Scientific Recognition:

• 2020 New Zealand Geosciences Hochstetter Lecturer - prestigious annual lecture series recognizing significant contributions to New Zealand geoscience

As Theme Leader at GNS Science, Dr. Upton oversees research programs that integrate multiple disciplines to address fundamental questions about Earth processes. Her leadership approach emphasizes authentic collaboration across geological subdisciplines, bringing together specialists in structural geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and geomorphology to tackle complex problems. Current projects focus on understanding the interrelationships between deep Earth processes and surface expressions in New Zealand's active tectonic environment.

Her research group maintains strong connections with international collaborators and contributes to major national research initiatives focused on understanding New Zealand's geological hazards and resource systems. The team's work has direct applications for understanding earthquake hazards, landscape evolution, and mineral deposit formation in active tectonic settings.