As an applied mathematician specialising in mathematical modelling, I consider myself prone to be interested in any problem which requires modelling, and that means almost any scientific problem at all. The main part of my research interests lies in mathematical geoscience, and stems from my doctoral research in glaciology: my thesis 'Glacier dynamics' was finished in 1977, back in the days before word processing, personal computers and the like, and I typed it on a typewriter with two keyboards, one Roman and one with Greek and mathematical symbols.

Since then I have become interested in many other areas of geophysics, geology, petrology, volcanology, as well as geomorphology and Earth surface processes in general.

The genuine applied mathematician is a multi-faceted creature, and I am no different. I have been interested in various parts of biology and physiology, and with a background in Oxford and a current post in MACSI, industrial problems also form a major part of my interests.