51cg

People

Dr Jessica Pugsley

Dr Jessica Pugsley
Dr Jessica Pugsley
Dr Jessica Pugsley

Research Fellow

51cg
Email Address
jessica.pugsley@abdn.ac.uk
Office Address
111b Meston Building
Old Aberdeen Campus
Meston Walk
AB24 3UE

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School/Department
School of Geosciences







Biography

Since moving to Aberdeen in 2012, Jess has completed a BSc and PhD, and held several roles at the 51cg, including Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, and her current position as Research Fellow.

Her research centres on virtual outcrops (e.g. ) and the integration of virtual and physical fieldwork across diverse geological settings. She uses virtual outcrops for both teaching virtual field trips and conducting research, and is exploring their applications in geological settings relevant to the energy transition. For her PhD, Jess investigated the Palaeogene volcanic and intra-volcanic sedimentary successions of the Isle of Mull, Scotland, combining extensive field mapping with drone-based virtual outcrop modelling, petrological analysis, and igneous geochemistry.

Jess is passionate about science communication and outreach, contributing to many events, social media projects, and YouTube resources (e.g. More recently, her team’s research on Palaeocene volcanics has been featured in national media outlets such as  as well as on radio and television news.

She also has a YouTube channel on using graphics packages (Adobe Illustrator) for geology ().

As someone with dyslexia, Jess is committed to raising awareness and supporting others with similar experiences. She has shared her journey through blog posts for Dyslexia Scotland and the 51cg, including Rocking Dyslexia - My Experience studying with Dyslexia.

Qualifications

  • BSc Geology and Petroleum Geology 
    2016 - 51cg 
  • PhD Geology 
    2021 - 51cg 

    "The Stratigraphic Architecture & Evolution of the north-west Mull Lava Field,Isle of Mull, Scotland"

External Memberships

Fellow of the Geological Society of London

Volcanic & Magmatic Studies Group (VMSG)

Latest Publications

  • Basaltic fissure eruptions of the Mull Lava Field, British Paleogene Igneous Province

    Pugsley, J. H., Hole, M. J., Jolley, D. W., Millett, J. M., Howell, J. A., Hartley, A., Quirie, A. K., Westland, J., Famelli, N.
    Journal of the Geological Society, vol. 182, no. 5, jgs2024-239
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
    • [ONLINE] DOI:
    • [OPEN ACCESS]

  • Quantifying Virtual Field Trip Efficiency

    Pugsley, J., Howell, J., Hartley, A., Buckley, S. J., Chmielewska, M., Naumann, N., Schofield, N., Brackenridge, R.
    PFG – Journal of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Science , vol. 92, no. 6, pp. 679–690
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
    • [ONLINE] DOI:
    • [OPEN ACCESS]
    • [ONLINE]

  • Understanding the petrophysical properties, seismic responses and impacts of the basalt-sediment transition in prospective sedimentary basins

    Famelli, N., Millett, J., Hole, M., Jerram, D. A., de Oliveira, L. C., Lima, E. F., Carmo, I. d. O., Planke, S., Pugsley, J. H., Chmielewska, M., Howell, J. A., Jolley, D. W.
    Journal of South American Earth Sciences, vol. 148, 105113
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
    • [ONLINE] DOI:
    • [ONLINE]

  • High-precision UPb zircon dating of explosive volcanism in an early bi-modal volcano-sedimentary sequence from the Isle of Mull, North Atlantic Igneous Province

    Millett, J., Jolley, D., Hole, M., Augland, L., Pugsley, J. H., McLeod, G., Planke, S.
    Lithos, vol. 482–483, 107729
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
    • [ONLINE] DOI:
    • [OPEN ACCESS]

  • Did evaporite cements and infiltrated silts assist preservation of reptile tracks in Permian desert sediments?

    Flett, K. E., Hopkins, C., Pugsley, J., Brasier, A.
    Sedimentary Geology, vol. 462, 106591
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
    • [ONLINE] DOI:
    • [OPEN ACCESS]
    • [ONLINE]

View My Publications

Prizes and Awards

Winner of the 'Best Undergraduate Lecturer' of the UoA Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2023)

Winner of the ‘Best Support Staff’ of the AUSA and UoA Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2020)

Gyles Fairclaugh Geologix Prize for excellence during undergraduate (2016)

Research

Research Overview

Development and pedagogy of virtual field trips

Fluvial Sedimentology (Triassic), Chinle Formation, Utah

Volcanic Stratigraphy (Palaeogene), Isle of Mull, Scotland

 

Funding and Grants

Elphinstone PhD Scholarship (2016)

CASP Research Award for Geological Fieldwork (2018)

Deep Carbon Observatory Bursary (2019)

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

GL1005: The Nature Of The Environment Through Geological Time

GL4023: Geological Mapping Project

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