- Room 004, Fitzroy, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA
- jesse.zondervan@plymouth.ac.uk

Profiles
Mr Jesse Zondervan
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Role
PhD Research Student
Qualifications
I'm a Geoscience research-trained PhD student at Plymouth University. I've got a background in field geology and environmental sciences and have a particular interest in neotectonics, field geomorphology and remote sensing as well as palaeoclimatology, geoarchaeology and science communication.
Employment/Education:
2017 MSci (Hons) Geology, Imperial College London (First Class)
2016-2017 Undergraduate Mentor, Imperial College London
2016-2017 Teaching Assistant, Imperial College London
2016 Exchange student, The Australian National University (High Distinction)
2016 Research intern, University of Amsterdam
Professional membership
- Fellow of the Geological Society of London (FGS)
- Postgraduate Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS)
- Geology for Global Development (GfGD)
- Association of British Science Writers (ABSW)
- British Society for Geomorphology (BSG)
- British Sedimentological Research Group (BSRG)
- Geologists' Association (GA)
- Quaternary Research Association (QRA)
- International Association of Sedimentologists (IAS)
- Geological Remote Sensing Group (GRSG)
- American Association of Petroleum Geoscientists (AAPG)
- Koninklijk Nederlands Geologisch Mijnbouwkundig Genootschap (KNGMG)
- Nederlandse Geologische Vereniging (NGV)
Teaching interests
GEOL2003 Geospatial techniques
GEOL1003 Geosystems
Research interests
PhD Project Title: Tectonic and climatic controls on Quaternary fluvial landscape development in NW Africa
Work on river catchments in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, with a focus on geomorphology and neotectonics. In September I explored the Ouarzazate region with Dr Martin Stokes and Professor Anne Mather. In particular, I will be using river terraces and OSL dating techniques to understand river response in tectonically active regions.
The project, Quantifying landscape response to tectonics and climate using river terraces in the Atlas Mountains, central Morocco includes updates on ResearchGate.
My PhD is part of an ongoing effort to understand landscape evolution in the High Atlas Mountains by Dr Martin Stokes, Prof Anne Mather and Dr Sarah Boulton:
Long term landscape evolution of the Moroccan High Atlas
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Investigating landscape response to active faulting:
I worked with Dr. Alex Whittaker, Dr. Rebecca Bell, Stephen Watkins and Sam Brooke at Imperial. I'm trained as a geologist and my background is in erosion and sedimentation, fluvial geomorphology, structural geology, climate and tectonics. My MSci project Investigating landscape response to active faulting, Southern Gulf of Corinth, Central Greece is what got me interested in the PhD project.
This dissertation was awarded the BSRG Award for Undergraduate Sedimentology.
Other research
Population dynamics and environment in South America
Another active project I contribute to is one with Dr Crystal McMichael and Dr Suzette Flantua at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).
Collecting a complete radiocarbon database and using statistical analysis and modelling to determine the interaction between environment and population dynamics.
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Palynology of Lake George
I've also done a project with Dr. Janelle Stevenson and Professor Brad Pillans at the Australian National University (ANU) on the palynology of Lake George, which hosts the longest paleoenvironmental record in Australia. Feel free to check my report Palynology of Lake George -A review of palynology, Lake George and regional & global Quaternary comparisons and the start of palynological analysis of a new Lake George core.
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Preserved fossil coral heads as indicators of Holocene high sea level
I'm still waiting for some paleoreef samples to be dated at the Australian National University, as I collected these on an undergraduate project with Dr Bradley Opdyke. This research, Preserved fossil coral heads as indicators of Holocene high sea level on One Tree Island goes into sea level records and isostatic adjustment models.
Grants & contracts
2018 Geological Remote Sensing Group Student Award