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 €4 million, acts as the single interface for scientists around the world wishing to engage with the program and is responsible for coordinating the submission and evaluation of all applications to participate in IODP3 and all scientific drilling proposals submitted to the program by the international marine science community. It also takes charge of all IODP3 publications.
“This is the world’s largest international Earth sciences research program, and it is fantastic that the University will now be at its center and playing a lead role in its future,” said Tony Morris, Professor in Geophysics and Geodynamics.
“Over many years, IODP expeditions—and the samples they have collected—have been key in making new discoveries about Earth’s evolution, past climate, and environmental change. IODP3 aims to build on those discoveries and encourage more people to engage with this sphere of marine science,” he continues.
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 analyze 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 program more accessible.
“One of our key aims for coming years is to make IODP3 research more inclusive,” said Dr. Jodie Fisher, IODP Science Office Scientific Communications, Applications and EDI Manager.
“For people with young families, or perhaps those with physical and other disabilities, taking part in a lengthy ocean-going research expedition isn’t going to be possible. By running shorter expeditions and creating other opportunities for land-based research using previous samples, we can enable more people of all career stages and abilities to engage with this cutting-edge field of scientific research,” she continues.
