Spotlight on Dr Penelope Wilson

When did you take up this position? What was your position beforehand? 

I took up this position when I joined UCL in September 2023 after 8 years teaching as a Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer at Kingston University (KU), London. A former postgraduate student at KU, following completion of my PhD thesis, I was asked to help deliver teaching on the BSc Geology and BSc Environmental Hazards and Disaster Management programmes as cover due to a staff absence. 

An initial hourly-paid contract soon turned into a fixed term contract, taking on the role of Programme Director for the Hazards programme; and later into a permanent contract and a promotion to Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences. 
In my last 4 years at KU I was the Programme Director for the BSc Environmental Science programme, and also the Academic Lead for the newly established Environmental Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship (DA) programme. 

Tell us about your work at UCL – how do you spend your days, and what makes your role different to similar positions elsewhere?

As the Undergraduate Tutor to over 300 students, a lot of my time is student facing (from pastoral care, to chairing the Student Staff Partnership Committee, and managing students’ administrative needs), so I get to know almost all our students pretty well. 

Although sometimes challenging, my pastoral roles as Chair of the Earth Sciences Extenuating Circumstances Panel and SoRA Lead put me in a unique position to help and support students at times of need. Student wellbeing and their learning experience is at the heart of what I do, and enhancing a strong sense of community within our Department is key to my role.

In my role as Lecturer (Teaching) I have used my prior experience in curricular design (at KU) to overhaul 3 of the largest Earth Science modules (as Module Organiser and core contributor) –GEOL0006: Surface Processes, GEOL0007: The Earth, and GEOL0024: Geological and Environmental Mapping. 

I am also the Affiliate Tutor – a new role for me since joining UCL. I love supporting our Affiliates and getting to know about their programmes and life back home and why they wanted to study at UCL. 

What are some of your favourite things about working at UCL? How have you found it different to previous jobs?

Moving to UCL was the breath of fresh air that I needed as my previous role was in a relatively small department. I love working at UCL and, particularly, in the Department of Earth Sciences. It’s a very friendly and welcoming Department and I find working on campus fulfilling. The students are great, and I enjoy the diverse nature of our cohort with students from all over the world creating a multicultural atmosphere for learning and creativity. 

I love being in a larger department where I can interact with, and learn from, research-active colleagues that inspire me, both in my teaching and my own research. Being part of the Hazard Centre provides opportunities for engaging and enriching discussions with colleagues on case studies from all over the world.

Can you tell us about any upcoming research, or future projects that you're looking forward to working on?

As teaching is my primary focus, my research sometimes has to be on the back burner; however, I do have a few ongoing research themes I am continuing to pursue in various ways. My publications record to date is focused around my PhD research on deformation structures associated with magma emplacement, and I have a number of follow-on studies which are available for future postgraduate student projects. 

Through my roles at KU and UCL, I have more recently been building research themes around natural hazards, and in particular geo-hazard-tourism (as well as geotourism more generally); understanding associated hazards, monitoring and mapping associated risk, and looking at ways to reduce the risk through investigating both tourist and stakeholder (geotourism company, land owner etc.) awareness and perception of risks. 

I have an active survey on geotourism, associated hazards and risk perception amongst the general public that I will cheekily plug here for anyone with a spare 10 minutes willing to participate in my research – Geotourism, Hazards and Risk Perception.

Have you always been based in London? If not, when did you move here, and how did you find adapting to living in London?

I’ve been based in SW London now for nearly 20 years, having moved down from Durham (where I did my undergraduate degree); however, working in the “city” is a relatively new experience since starting at UCL. I feel like I have adapted well to the new commute and the increase in the volume of people, though the tube at rush hour can still be quite overwhelming. I love exploring the campus and the different architecture of the various buildings.

Finally, tell us about your non-work life. Do you have any hobbies, or favourite places to go in London?

I love to fill my evenings and weekends with family time, catching up with friends, and my hobbies (mostly sport and music based). 

I am mummy to a beautiful, energetic and chatty three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and together we love to go swimming, getting out in nature (ideally with some good rock outcrops as she’s already an avid rock hunter!), and singing along to Disney movies together! We are all fans of our local rugby club, and so a key place for us to go as a family is Twickenham Stoop to support out team (COYQ!). 

I am passionate about music and singing (folk, folk-rock and country), and am excited to say my daughter is too, and so some of our other favourite places to go as a family are the various concert venues in London, such as the London Palladium, Union Chappel, the O2, and Royal Albert Hall. 

Links:

• Dr Penelope Wilson's academic profile