Dr Andrew John Biggin B.Sc. Ph.D. F.R.A.S.
Paleomagnetic Laboratory Fort Hoofddijk,
Faculteit Geowetenschappen
Universiteit Utrecht
Budapestlaan 17,
3584 CD Utrecht,
Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)30 253 5246
Fax: +31 (0)30 253 1677
Email: biggin@geo.uu.nl
Born
12th August, 1976. Leeds, United Kingdom.
Work Experience
 Post-doctoral researcher: Palaeomagnetic Laboratory, Universiteit Utrecht. June 2006 –
Present. Principal research projects: Investigating geomagnetic field behaviour in the Archaean
and the Phanerozoic; improving palaeointensity methodology.
 Various jobs including private tutor of mathematics & physics. November, 2004 – May,
2006. Remained research active and wrote several papers and a successful grant application.
 Post-doctoral research fellow: Laboratoire Tectonophysisque, Université Montpellier II.
October 2003 – October 2004. Principal research projects: Investigating the reason for
palaeointensity failure in 20th century samples from Mt Etna; investigating the behaviour of
thermoremanence in multi-domain samples.
 Post-doctoral research fellow: Centro de Geociencias, UNAM. August 2001 – July 2003.
Principal research projects: Developing the microwave paleointensity system to use on
Quaternary rocks; investigating non-ideal behaviour in paleointensity experiments.
 Researcher / teaching assistant: School of Earth Science and Geography, Kingston University.
February – July, 2001. Responsibilities: Lecturing and running practical / field classes in applied
and global geophysics, planetary physics, and environmental monitoring; palaeomagnetic and
environmental magnetic research.
Funded projects
 ‘A new approach for determining the absolute paleointensity of the Earth’s magnetic field.’ (Coauthor) NWO PhD Project. August, 2008 – July, 2012; EUR 222,000.
 ‘The full vector field of Earth's earliest geodynamo’. (Lead author) NWO ALW Programme;
June, 2006 – May 2009; EUR 230,000.
 ‘Absolute palaeointensities from Mexico: implications for geomagnetism and archaeology.’ (Coauthor) UC Mexus; July, 2002 – December, 2003; US$ 25,000.
 ‘Full vector geomagnetic secular variation in central Mexico as derived from volcanic rocks
younger than about 50 ka.’ (Co-author)DFG, Germany; April 2002 – March 2004; EUR 6,000.
Education
 Ph.D: “An experimental and analytical assessment of geomagnetic intensity variation since the
Devonian: links to global geological processes.” Kingston University (NERC funded), Sept.
1997 – February, 2001. Thesis nominated for a national award.
 B.Sc. (Hons.): Geophysics with Environmental Science. University of Liverpool, September,
1994 – June, 1997.
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Distinctions and responsibilities
 Co-promoter and assistant supervisor on two PhD Projects: ‘Archaeomagnetism of Bronze Age
sites in Anatolia’ and ‘A new approach for determining the absolute paleointensity of the Earth’s
magnetic field.’
 Editor for palaeointensity data: Magnetics Information Consortium (MagIC) database.
 Manager of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA)
palaeointensity database (to be formally approved July, 2008).
 Member of the organising committee of the first meeting of European Science Foundation (ESF)
network programme ‘Habitat of Early Life’, Vienna, April 2008 (Budget: EUR 60,000).
 Invited convener for ‘Palaeointensity: results, methodological advances and open issues’, IAGA
Assembly, Sopron, July 2009.
 Invited to speak at four international meetings including the American Geophysical Union
(AGU) Spring meeting, May 2007 and the International Union of Geophysics and Geodesy
(IUGG) general assembly, July 2007.
 Co-convener, ‘One hundred years after Brunhes: geomagnetic reversal and palaeointensity
behaviour’ EGU, 2007.
 Co-convener ‘Paleointensity Methods and Their Comparison’, AGU Fall, 2007.
 Invited member of ESF ArchEnviron: Barberton Belt Field Workshop, September, 2007.
 Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society since 1999.
 Member of the American Geophysical Union since 2001.
Invited oral presentations
 ‘Does the inner core destabilise the geodynamo?’ Vening Meinesz Research School of
Geodynamics, 10th Annual Symposium, Utrecht, November, 2007.
 ‘The destabilising influence of the inner core on the geodynamo’ Chinese Academy of Science
(CAS) Symposium: Paleomagnetism and the Earth’s Deep Interior, Beijing, China, July,
2007.
 ‘A very long term trend in geomagnetic secular variation’ University of Leicester, UK, July,
2007.
 ‘Absolute palaeointensity determination: overcoming the multidomain problem’ University of
Leeds, UK, November, 2005.
 ‘Optimising the linearity of Arai plots produced by multidomain grains subject to Thellier-type
palaeointensity experiments’ IAGA Assembly, Toulouse, France, July, 2005.
 ‘A Numerical simulation of the behaviour of thermoremanent magnetisation in assemblages of
ferromagnetic grains’ University of Sheffield, UK, September 2004.
 ‘Absolute Geomagnetic Palaeointensity Determination: a potent tool for studying the Earth’s
deep interior’ Yale University, USA, April, 2004.
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