Dr Servel Miller CGeog (GIS)

Biography

I am a physical geographer and geologist with a particular interest in the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing Systems to natural hazard assessment and mitigation as well as environment monitoring and management. The natural hazards that I have particular interest in include: landslides, tsunamis, storm surges and floods. My research focuses on the identification, monitoring and modeling of these natural phenomena and studying their socio-economic impacts. The research into natural hazards and its impacts has focused primarily on the island of Jamaica and North Wales. In 1994 I obtained my BSc. (Hons) in Geology from the University of West Indies. I then went on to work full-time for the Geological Survey of Jamaica as a Geologist and as a part-time lecturer at Exced Community College. In 1996, I was awarded a fully funded fellowship by the Dutch Government to study Mineral Exploration at the International Institute for Aerospace Survey. I continued working at the Geological Survey, in a number of capacities including Head of regional geological mapping, where I was able to develop the GIS and Mapping programme and Geo-information based landslide hazard assessment projects. In 2003 I completed an MSc in Geographical Information Systems at Cranfield University. I was awarded a fully funded Scholarship (Gladstone Fellowship) by the University of Chester to pursue a PhD in GIS application to Landslide Hazard Assessment in 2004. The PhD was completed in 2007 after which I was appointed as full-time lecturer and Programme Leader for the Natural Hazard Management programme within the Department of Geography as a Lecturer.