David Gubbins (born May 31, 1947) is a British former

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct investigations acros ...

concerned with the mechanism of the

Earth's magnetic field Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from structure of Earth, Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from ...

and theoretical geophysics. He is Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at

Leeds University The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed ...

Career

Gubbins graduated as a geophysicist from

Trinity College, Cambridge University Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

in 1968 and received his Ph.D. in 1972. He then studied as a post-doctoral student for three years in the United States at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

and the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

, where he was also assistant professor from 1974 to 1976. In 1976 he returned to Cambridge to work in the Department of Geodesy and Geophysics (later

Earth Sciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

), becoming a professor and a fellow of Churchill College. He moved to

as Head of Geophysics in 1989, retiring in 2009. In retirement he remains active, spending summer months at Leeds and autumn at the

Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma. Founded in 1903 and incorpo ...

. He spends his free time sailing off the coast of Mexico. His main research interest has been the origin of the Earth's magnetic field, He employs the Leeds Dynamo Code to simulate geomagnetic behaviour over millions of years and compares the results with actual geomagnetic and paleomagnetic records. He has recalculated the thermal history of the Earth's core from determinations of the material properties of iron alloys and developed a new approach to analysing the magnetisation of crust and

lithosphere A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the lithospheric mantle, the topmost portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time ...

Honours and awards

He was elected a fellow of

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, Atmospheric science, atmospheric, Oceanography, ocean, Hydrology, hydrologic, Astronomy, space, and Planetary science, planetary scientists and enthusiasts that ...

(AGU) in 1985. In 1996 he became a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

and a

Fellow of the Institute of Physics Fellowship of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) is "the highest level of membership attainable" by physicists who are members of the Institute of Physics (IoP), "for those with a degree in physics or related subject (or equivalent knowledge gaine ...

. He is also a Foreign Member of the

Norwegian Academy of Sciences The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

(2005) and an Honorary Member of the

European Geosciences Union The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is a non-profit international union in the fields of Earth, planetary, and space sciences whose vision is to "realise a sustainable and just future for humanity and for the planet". The organisation has headq ...

(EGU) (2008). He was awarded the

Murchison Medal The Murchison Medal is an academic award established by Roderick Murchison, who died in 1871. First awarded in 1873, it is normally given to people who have made a significant contribution to geology by means of a substantial body of research an ...

of the

Geological Society The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe, with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

in 1999 and the

Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society is the highest award given by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The RAS Council have "complete freedom as to the grounds on which it is awarded" and it can be awarded for any reason. Past awar ...

for geophysics in 2002. In 2006 he received the

Chree Medal The Edward Appleton Medal and Prize is awarded by the Institute of Physics for distinguished research in environmental, earth or atmospheric physics. Originally named after Charles Chree, the British physicist and former President of the Physica ...

(now renamed the Appleton Medal) from the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

. He has also been awarded the AGU Fleming Medal in 2004, the Love Medal in 2007, and the Arthur Holmes Medal of the EGU in 2009.

Selected publications

* * *as editor with Emilio Herrero-Bervera:

References

* Based in part on a translation of the equivalent article on German Wikipedia

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gubbins, David 1947 births Living people Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British geophysicists Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Institute of Physics Murchison Medal winners Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge Academics of the University of Leeds Academics of the University of Cambridge

Career

Honours and awards

Selected publications

See also

References

External links