Prof John Grattan

Profile

Biography

Professor Grattan has an extensive academic background in Environmental and Archaeological Science and has developed a real passion regarding science communication. He began his career obtaining a Ph.D. from The University of Sheffield and his research has since been highlighted in many different media outlets such as: The Economist, The Guardian, The Times and International Television and Radio.

In 1995 he joined the University of Wales, Aberystwyth where he held positions of Senior Lecturer, Reader, Professor and Dean of Faculty of Science at Aberystwyth University. In 2012 he was appointed the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Student Experience and International. On top of this he was a board member of the QAA, HEFCW's Student Experience, Teaching and Quality Committee and UniversitiesWales Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching Advisory Group.  After a period as interim vice-chancellor he is now delighted to return to his roots in research and teaching.

John is a highly regarded lecturer, he was a late entrant to higher education and believes passionately that going to university is a privilege that can change people's lives, it changed his!

Research

Research Interests

Volcanic Hazards. Environmental impact of volcanic eruptions. Cultural responses to extreme events. Ecotoxicology. The industrial legacies of the ancient world. The inception and development of the first factories. Landscape archaeology. Geochemical records of environmental change.

Publications

Allcock, SL, Elliott, S, Jenkins, E, Palmer, C, Rollefson, G, Grattan, J & Finlayson, B 2023, 'Using Phytolith, Geochemical and Ethnographic Analysis to Inform on Site Construction and Activities in the Neolithic of Southwest Asia: Case Studies from Wadi Faynan 16 and ‘Ain Ghazal, Jordan', Environmental Archaeology: The Journal of Human Palaeoecology. 10.1080/14614103.2023.2243114
Friedman, H, Adams, R, Anderson, J, Byrne, P, Gilbertson, D, Grattan, J, Haylock, K, Holman, L, Hunt, CO & Toland, H 2022, 'Floodwater farming and quarrying at Jabal Hamra Arlbieg in the Jordanian desert: Economic support for the classical period Faynan Orefield', Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, vol. 42, 103056. 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103056
Edmonds, M, Grattan, J & Michnowicz, S 2018, Volcanic Gases: Silent Killers. in CJ Fearnley, DK Bird & K Haynes (eds), Advances in Volcanology: Volcano Crisis Communication. Advances in Volcanology, Springer Nature, pp. 65-83. 10.1007/11157_2015_14
Jenkins, EL, Allcock, SL, Elliott, S, Palmer, C & Grattan, J 2017, 'Ethno-geochemical and phytolith studies of activity related patterns: A case study from Al Ma'tan, Jordan', Environmental Archaeology: The Journal of Human Palaeoecology, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 412-433. 10.1080/14614103.2017.1362787
Grattan, J & Torrence, R 2016, Beyond gloom and doom: The long-term consequences of volcanic disasters. in Living Under the Shadow: Cultural Impacts of Volcanic Eruptions. Taylor & Francis, pp. 1-18.
More publications on the Research Portal