Dr Mark Ireland is Associate Director for Research and Innovation within the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Newcastle University and leads NU Subsurface QI, an industry-facing university initiative to delivering quantitative subsurface solutions for industry. A geologist and geophysicist by training, he holds a PhD from Durham University and an MESci in Exploration and Resource Geology from Cardiff University. Prior to joining academia, Mark spent nine years with bp in technical roles supporting upstream exploration and development activities.

His research focuses on the application of geophysical and geological methods to improve understanding of the subsurface, with particular expertise in seismic imaging, passive seismic methods and quantitative subsurface characterisation. He leads collaborative projects with industry across geothermal energy, carbon capture and storage, energy storage and engineering applications. His recent work has focused on developing scalable passive seismic workflows using dense nodal arrays and automated processing approaches to enable rapid 3D imaging and monitoring of near-surface conditions.