CANDIDATE INFORMATION
Nicholas Lancaster
Research Professor
Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences
Desert Research Institute
2215 Raggio Parkway
Reno,
NV 89512, USA
Nick.lancaster@dri.edu
http://www.dri.edu/nick-lancaster
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
B.A 1971 Geography, University of Cambridge
M.A. 1975 Geography, University of Cambridge
Ph.D. 1977 Geography, University of Cambridge
INQUA POSITIONS HELD
Secretary, INQUA Commission for Terrestrial Processes, Environments and Deposits
(TERPRO) 2003-2011.
Secretary General, XVI INQUA Congress, Reno, Nevada, USA, 2003.
Member TERPRO Advisory Board 2011-present.
Leader TERPRO Focus Group – Aeolian Processes and Deposits 2007-2011.
Project Leader for INQUA Project 0704 “Sand seas and dune fields of the world: a
digital Quaternary atlas” 2007EXPERTISE AND RESEARCH INTERESTS
Extensive research experience in arid lands geomorphology, especially aeolian sand
deposits and landforms; Quaternary landform development and response of dune
systems to climate and sea level change; lacustrine deposits and landforms in arid
regions; active collaborator in luminescence dating programs; database
development for Quaternary chronology of aeolian deposits.
VISION FOR INQUA AND TERPRO
Quaternary climate change and its effects on landforms and sediments knows no
national boundaries - the INQUA commissions provide a valuable vehicle for
international scientific collaborations that facilitate understanding of spatial and
temporal patterns of change. This is increasingly important as the size and
coverage of datasets for Quaternary paleoenvironmental proxies become global in
extent.
The INQUA Commissions and their members are the lifeblood of the organization in
inter-congress period. I believe in involving all TERPRO members in collaborative
activities. In particular, the role of INQUA working groups in the community of
Quaternary scientists needs to be strengthened so that early-career scientists and
members from under-represented groups and nations can play a role in shaping the
scientific agenda and developing much-needed expertise in addressing issues of
sustainable development, natural hazards, and environmental problems.
The datasets and methods for understanding Quaternary climate change require an
interdisciplinary approach. I would like to see more working groups that involve
members from different INQUA commissions to address specific cross-cutting issues
of importance.
I have a strong commitment to international scientific collaboration at all levels,
having conducted teaching and research in five continents and visited all seven. In
addition to collaborating with a diverse group of scientists involved in
understanding the response of arid regions to climate change, I have been involved
in INQUA activities for many years, including involvement in INQUA TERPRO since
re-organization of Commissions in 2003 and a member of the US National
Committee for INQUA from 2002 to 2010. I was the founding secretary of TERPRO
from 2003-2011 and a co-convener of INQUA Symposia in 2003, 2008, and 2011. In
addition, I was Secretary General of XIV INQUA Congress held in Reno in 2003.
I believe that INQUA and its commissions can play a vital role in international
scientific research and education, especially by recognizing diversity and involving
early career scientists, and by showing decision makers that understanding past
climate and environmental changes can inform and guide environmental policy and
use of natural resources.