University takes the helm of global scientific drilling research programme

The University of Plymouth will lead the central scientific body at the heart of a global research initiative that aims to unlock some of the secrets hidden beneath the world’s seafloor.

The International Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP³) is a research collaboration that explores Earth’s history and dynamics through ocean-going research expeditions.

Bringing together partners from at least 16 countries, it collects rock and sediment samples from some of the planet’s most remote locations, which are then used by scientists to gain a better understanding of Earth’s evolution.

Professor Tony Morris has been appointed as the Lead Director of the IODP³ Science Office for at least the next five years, and will work in collaboration with Dr Nobu Eguchi (JAMSTEC, Japan) as Co-Director.

The Science Office, supported by funding of around €4million, acts as the single interface for scientists around the world wishing to engage with the programme, and is responsible for coordinating the submission and evaluation of all applications to participate in IODP³ and all scientific drilling proposals submitted to the programme by the international marine science community. It also takes charge of all IODP³ publications.

IODP³ is the successor to the International Ocean Discovery Program, which has been running for the past decade, but can trace its heritage back to the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), which first started operating in 1968.

In that time, hundreds of research expeditions have been mounted all over the world with thousands of scientists – including several from the University – working to collect and analyse samples from the seafloor.

The Science Office team within the University will also include three Managers with extensive marine geoscience research experience, each responsible for a key aspect of its mandate. They include Dr Jodie Fisher , the Science Office’s Communications, Applications and EDI Manager, who will be exploring ways of making the research programme more accessible.

Scientific Ocean Drilling and the University of Plymouth

The successive scientific ocean drilling programmes have enjoyed a long association with the University of Plymouth.

Over the past three decades and more, academics, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students – from various Earth and marine science disciplines – have taken part in expeditions in most of the world’s oceans and seas, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans (around Antarctica) and the Mediterranean and Philippine Seas.

Its researchers have also held key roles within the IODP organisation, with Professor Morris chairing both the UK-IODP and the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling science office previously, and Dr Michelle Harris being a current member of the IODP Science Evaluation Panel.