Dr Anna Bird
| Biography | Dr Anna Bird is a Reader in Earth Science at the University of Hull and an internationally recognized expert in geochemistry and geochronology. Her research spans from decoding mountain-building in the Scottish Highlands to tracing dust origins across China and Africa, tackling questions at the intersection of tectonics, climate, and sediment provenance. As Director of the HULAMS Laboratory, she pioneers innovative analytical methods—such as in situ Rb-Sr dating—and leads interdisciplinary collaborations across Earth and environmental sciences. A proven research leader with a strong track record of NERC and industry funding, she’s passionate about making science accessible—whether mentoring early-career researchers, leading transformative field teaching, or speaking at public science festivals. |
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| Research Interests | I use geochemistry and geochronology along with field observations to establish timing(s) of orogenic events and the provenance of sediments. My research interests are broad and I like to look at lots of different earth science problems. I run Hull University's Laser Ablation and Mass Spectrometry Lab, https://hulams.wordpress.com/ and work on samples that range from biological, to geological to engineered materials. For my own research projects, I have worked materials from all over the Highlands of Scotland and Shetland to better constrain the timing of mountain building events by dating minerals like garnet, mica, monazite and zircon. I have also dated later faulting events by dating calcite fault-fill. Lots of my work is around establishing the provenance of palaeo-dust (loess) from China, Africa and Europe to evaluate the interplay between tectonics and climate on sediment deposition and provenance. The big output from this work is to relate dust source and transport to atmospheric circulation. |
| Teaching and Learning | I am currently the Programme Director for the Earth Science and Earth and Environmental Science programmes, including all their variants (study abroad and year in industry). I teach across all levels of the programmes and also on the Geography programmes. Currently I module lead the Earth Science Dissertation module and Igneous and Metamorphic rocks, as well as teaching on modules like Geoscience Fieldcourse and Sedimentology. I love teaching in the field and lead fieldcourse to UK locations like the Isle of Skye, the Lake District and overseas locations like SE Spain. |
| Scopus Author ID | 55554942300 |
| PhD Supervision Availability | Yes |