Dr Jesse R. Zondervan

Geospatial Analysis, Surface Processes, Transdisciplinary Science, Emerging Tech

Research Fellow in Earth Surface Processes  

Appointment:	Room:
Research Fellow	K. Lonsdale Building
Courses Taught:
non-teaching appointment
Research Interest:
Geomorphology
Carbon Cycle
Environmental Microbiology
Rock Mechanics
Email Address:	Telephone Number:
j.zondervan@ucl.ac.uk

My work focuses on interactions between physical, chemical, and biological processes on the Earth’s surface. The Earth’s surface is the interface of multiple Earth systems: the lithosphere, the biosphere, the atmosphere, and the hydrosphere. I’m interested in how these spheres interact to shape the environment in which we live.

I have started working on understanding the role of microbes in the environment, how they could help reverse desertification and increase the resilience of dryland environments. This is sometimes referred to as “terraforming” Earth. I approach this aim using integrated fieldwork and digital analysis, including DNA sequencing, geospatial analysis, machine learning and high-performance computing.

I was first trained in geology and surface processes, and I have experience across disciplines such as ecology and archaeology.

Recently, I identified patterns of mountain erosion and landscape reorganisation caused by the geometry of rock strength properties. This has implications for understanding the dynamics of physical and chemical processes, and the evolution of species in the most active regions of the Earth’s surface.

I have also quantified the control of rock strength on the speed at which landscapes respond to active faulting. This allows us to calibrate numerical models aimed at decoding tectonic activity and earthquake risk from topography.

My main focus at UCL is on improving our models of long-term changes in Mountain surface processes, mainly through the use of fieldwork, experiments and topographic analysis. In addition, I am now working on modelling global carbon dioxide emissions from the erosion and weathering of organic-rich rock, which is a major component of the geological carbon cycle that has not been properly quantified yet. I am also contributing to modelling studies of human-environment interactions in South America.

Links: 

• Find out more about my research on my personal website.
• I am the content editor for Geology for Global Development. 

In a series of articles about science, I delve into the future of geoscience applications in relation to the rise of globalisation and emerging technologies: 

• Millennial Scientists in a Segregating World – The Role of Science in Shaping Society
• Are we ready to deal with high-impact, complex and uncertain science?
• Geoscience as a tool in the twenty-first century