Mark Wilkinson

Mark is a senior lecturer in geological carbon storage at the University of Edinburgh, where he has worked since the year 2000. He teaches field geology, petroleum geology and runs an MSc degree (Master’s) that was called Carbon Capture and Storage but is now renamed Applied Geosciences (GeoEnergy) that covers many aspects of energy and the subsurface, such as nuclear waste storage and geothermal energy. His research is mostly about the storage of carbon dioxide underground, as a part of carbon capture and storage but also covers topics as diverse as dinosaurs on the Island of Skye in Scotland and the origin of the Scottish Highlands. Mark writes scientific articles about his research, but also articles for magazines that are read by interested amateurs. He strongly believes that informal education (in the way that many people learn about fossils, for example) has an important role to play, and that education should not be restricted to schools and universities, hence his involvement in this MOOC. He also believes that science has the potential to improve society, but only if ordinary people have some grasp of the technologies that are being used, and their limitations.