Chris Jackson

Chris Jackson is a geologist and adventurer and was one of the 2020 Christmas Lecturers.

Christmas Lecturer Chris Jackson in the Ri lecture theatre
Credit: Paul Wilkinson

Chris Jackson is a geologist and adventurer, who is currently a Professor at Imperial College London.

After completing a BSc and PhD in Geology at the University of Manchester, Chris lived in Bergen, western Norway, where he tried his hand at ice-climbing, sea kayaking, and sparsely bolted rock climbing routes. He then returned to the UK to take a full-time academic position at Imperial College.

His academic position has not limited his opportunities for further travel and adventure, with his geological fieldwork taking him to remote, and physically and mentally challenging locations, including the Argentinian Andes, the Borneo rainforest and the Sinai Desert in Egypt.

Chris appeared in ‘Expedition Volcano’, a BBC 2 series in which he and a team of international scientists undertook an expedition to two of the world’s most volatile, spectacular, but least known active volcanoes on Earth, Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira, located on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Chris has also appeared in several other Earth science-focused documentaries, including ‘A Day in the Life of Planet Earth’ (BBC4), ‘X-Ray Earth’ (National Geographic), ‘The Pompeii Prophecy: Countdown to Disaster’ (Channel 5), and ‘Ancient Mysteries - Rome’s Sunken City’ (Channel 5/Smithsonian).

Away from work, Chris is very active, having completed nine marathons, more than 30 half-marathons, and a couple of triathlons. He is also a keen rock climber and hiker.