Geophysicist wins prestigious medal

Kathryn Whaler, Professor of Geophysics, has been awarded a prestigious prize from the Royal Astronomy Society.

Professor Whaler is 2013’s recipient of the Price Medal, awarded for investigations of outstanding merit in solid earth geophysics, oceanography or planetry sciences.

Distinguished career

The geophysicist has been honoured in recognition of her distinguished career in geomagnetism and international leadership in geophysics.

Her research has treated all aspects of the geomagnetic field, from the core, and its associated flow, through its passage through the mantle to Earth’s surface.

Professor Whaler began her career as a theoretical geophysicist, addressing fundamental questions about the stratification of Earth’s outer core and its influence on the geodynamo that generates Earth’s magnetic field.

Much of her work has involved mapping fluid flow at the top of Earth’s core. Her early work laid the foundation of work to determine the Earth’s magnetic field at the core-mantle boundary.

She has led several successful multidisciplinary field campaigns in Africa, with the latest producing interesting results from the Afar region in Ethiopia.

Additional roles

Professor Whaler was President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2004 to 2006.

She is currently President of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA).

She was the first woman to be elected to a chair in geophysics in the UK.