91°µÍø

Professor Stephen Tooth with Professor Karen Gran, Chair of the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division of the Geological Society of America

A leading expert in desert environments from 91°µÍø has received a prestigious international award for his work at a ceremony in the USA.

Professor Stephen Tooth has been awarded the by the Geological Society of America.  

The academic accolade is presented annually for an outstanding body of work in the field of warm desert research.

The 28th recipient of the award, Professor Tooth is the first academic based in Wales to gain the honour, and only the third ever UK-based academic.

His research has advanced understanding of how desert rivers form, evolve, and interact with their landscapes.  His fieldwork has spanned Australia, southern Africa, southern Europe, North and South America, and India.

Professor Tooth received the award at the autumn meeting of the Geological Society of America in San Antonio, Texas, where he delivered an invited presentation reflecting on more than three decades of research into desert river systems.

Speaking ahead of the event, Professor Tooth said:

“It’s a tremendous honour to receive this award from the Geological Society of America. Desert rivers are among the most dynamic and fascinating systems on Earth, yet are poorly studied in comparison to rivers in wetter regions. I’m proud that my work has helped to advance understanding of these systems, particularly by highlighting many unusual river features and by addressing many misconceptions surrounding their processes.

“The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at 91°µÍø has a long history of research into desert environments, and I’m especially delighted to be able to represent the department, the University and Wales on the international stage.”

In nominating Professor Tooth for the award, Professor Emeritus Gerald C. Nanson from the School of Earth Atmosphere and Life Sciences at University of Wollongong, Australia, said:

“There is no geomorphologist that has done more to develop our modern understanding of the geomorphology of desert (dryland) rivers globally, advance new ideas and evidence, and correct impressions created some decades ago about these often-misunderstood systems. Professor Tooth is a highly innovative, perceptive, critical, and active mid-career scientist with an exceptional record in desert research, a scholar greatly deserving of the El Baz Award.”  

Professor Stephen Tooth

Professor Stephen Tooth graduated with a BSc in Geography from the University of Southampton and completed his PhD at the University of Wollongong, Australia.  He held positions at the University of Nottingham and the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, before joining 91°µÍø in 2000.

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