Stuart Kinnaird Monro

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, FRSGS,

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(born 3 March 1947) is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and science communicator.

Early life

Monro graduated in

Geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

from Aberdeen University in 1970 and then received his

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

while embarking upon a lengthy career with the

British Geological Survey The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. The BGS h ...

, making a number of distinguished contributions to the understanding of the geology of central Scotland and the application of geology to

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

issues.

Career

He was instrumental in establishing Our Dynamic Earth in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, the

science centre A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in mu ...

and visitor attraction which opened in 1999 as a major

Millennium Project A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

that serves to facilitate a better public understanding of the processes that have shaped the earth. He took up the post of Scientific Director at Our Dynamic Earth on a permanent, part-time, basis on retiring from the British Geological Survey in 2004. Monro has been a part-time tutor in

Earth Science 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 ...

s at the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

from 1982 till 2009 and, from 1990 to 2002, served on the Open University's

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

from 1994 to 2002. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Open University in 2011 for "Services to the University" and "Academic and scholarly distinction". He was made a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts in 1998, and served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of that Society from 2002 until 2005 and again from 2014 until 2017,. He also served as president of the Westmorland Geological Society (1994–2005) and of the

Edinburgh Geological Society The Edinburgh Geological Society (EGS) was founded in 1834 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the aim of stimulating public interest in geology and the advancement of geological knowledge. It was a time of debate and controversy surrounding the emergi ...

(2005–2007). He has been co- Convenor of the Scottish Earth Science Education Forum since 2003, a voluntary group he helped establish to support a greater understanding of

earth science 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 ...

s in Scottish schools and colleges and chairs the Earth Science Trust. Also in 2003 he was appointed by Scottish Ministers to serve on the

Scottish Science Advisory Council The Scottish Science Advisory Council is a government organisation that is Scotland's highest level advisory body for science, engineering and technology. The group of experts provide independent advice to the Scottish Government. Members are ...

, a national forum which provides strategic advice to the Scottish Government on scientific issues. He was the council's first Independent Co-chair till he stood down as both co-chair and a member of the Council in 2009. He has also served as a Non-Executive Director of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, and served on the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

’s Young People’s Committee. He is honorary geological adviser to the John Muir Trust and in 2005 he was appointed by Scottish Ministers as a

Trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

of the

National Museums of Scotland National Museums Scotland (NMS; gd, Taighean-tasgaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It runs the national museums of Scotland. NMS is one of the country's National Collections, ...

, a role he continued till 2013. In 2009 he also took on the part-time position as Scientific Director of the Edinburgh Consortium for Rural Research now the Scottish Consortium for Rural Research. In 2011 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He was made an

Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

of the

(School of

Geosciences 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 ...

) in 2005 and from September 2007, he has also served as a member of the University Court of the

. From September 2011 till 31 July 2014 he served as Vice-Convenor of Court. He was appointed a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

in the School of

at the

in February 2008 and an

Honorary Professor Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

from February 2014. In 2014 he was appointed as a member of the University Court of the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. Monro is a Chartered Geologist and

Fellow 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 ...

and was awarded the Society's Distinguished Service Award in 2009. In 2010 he was elected a Fellow of the

and in 2014 made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. He has an honorary doctorate from the

(DUniv) from

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...

(DSc) and from

(DSc). He was awarded the title of Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) for services to science in HM Queen Elizabeth II's New Year Honours list, announced on 30 December 2006. In 2021, the Geological Society reprimanded Monro after allegations he "shouted, spat and made sexist comments" at Anna Grayson, former host of ''

Natural World ''Natural World'' is a strand of British wildlife documentary programmes broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history series. It is the longest-running documentary in its genre on British televisi ...

,'' at a 1999 Geological Society event, determining that he had behaved in an “unprofessional manner”. The Society said that Monro's behaviour was “out of character” and confirmed that no further action would be taken.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monro, Stuart Scottish geologists Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the Open University Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1947 births Living people Fellows of the Geological Society of London Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Higher Education Academy