Prof Sarah Davies
BA Geography (1995), University of Sheffield MRes (1996), PhD (2000), University of Edinburgh

Professor
Head of Department (Geography)
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Contact Details
- Email: sjd@aber.ac.uk
- ORCID: 0000-0002-0994-0440
- Office: E21d, Llandinam Building
- Phone: +44 (0) 1970 622585
- Twitter: @sarahdavies_sjd
- Research Portal Profile
Profile
I joined DGES in September 2002 as a lecturer in Physical Geography and Environmental Science. I was appointed Senior Lecturer in October 2008 .My research focuses on reconstructing climatic and environmental change using evidence from lake sediments. I am particularly interested in the interactions between people, climate and environment over a range of timescales. Most of my work to date has focused in tropical regions such as Mexico and Ethiopia, where I am involved in ongoing projects. Closer to home, I also work on sedimentary and historical records of climatic variability and extreme weather and their impacts in Wales and the UK.
Teaching
Module Coordinator
Attendance Dept Admin
- DA22510 - Geomorffoleg Afonol
- DA34040 - Traethawd Estynedig Daearyddiaeth
- DAS0360 - Lleoliad Gwaith
- GS12520 - An introduction to Earth Materials
- GS24220 - Understanding (in)equality and (in)justice
- GS35140 - Environmental Earth Science Dissertation
- GSS0260 - Work Placement
- DA11220 - Methodoleg Maes Amgylcheddol
- GS01120 - Information in a Post-Truth World
- GS10220 - Conflict and Change: the making of urban and rural spaces
- GS10520 - Earth Surface Environments
- GS21820 - Field Skills
- GS31240 - Sociology Dissertation
- GS34040 - Geography Dissertation
- GS00220 - Foundation in Liberal Arts
- GS11520 - How to Build a Planet
- GS15120 - Thinking Sociologically
- GS16120 - Key Concepts in Sociology
- GS22010 - Physical Analysis of Natural Materials
- GS25210 - Catchment Systems
- GS30020 - The psychosocial century
- GS31120 - Applied Environmental Management
- GS32330 - The Quaternary History of Svalbard (UNIS)
- GS33720 - People, Climate and Environment: a Palaeoenvironmental Perspective
- GS37920 - Memory Cultures: heritage, identity and power
- DA10520 - Newid a gwrthdaro: Cynhyrchu gofodau gwledig a threfol
- DA20510 - Ymchwilio i bobl a lle
- DA31720 - Rheoli'r Amgylchedd Gymreig
- GS20410 - Concepts for Geographers
- GS22720 - Fundamentals of Geochemistry
- GS30420 - Volcanic Activity: Hazards and Environmental Change
- GS36220 - Modern British Landscapes
- GS37520 - Urban Risk and Environmental Resilience
- GSS0360 - Work Placement
- DA23020 - Lleoli Gwleidyddiaeth
- DA31240 - Traethawd Estynedig Cymdeithaseg
- DA34220 - Prosiect Daearyddiaeth Anrhydedd Cyfun/Prif Bwnc
- GS20510 - Social Research Methods
- GS21010 - Chemical Analysis of Natural Materials
- GS22620 - Advanced Earth Materials
- GS23510 - The Frozen Planet
- GS23710 - Geographical Information Systems
- GS23810 - Quantitative Data Analysis
- GS32120 - Sedimentary Environments
- GS32430 - Arctic Marine Geology (UNIS)
- GS35240 - Environmental Science Dissertation
- GS35320 - Advanced Fieldwork Skills
- GS36820 - The Global Countryside: Geographical and Sociological Perspectives
- DA32220 - Cenedlaetholdeb a chymdeithas
- GS00120 - Foundation - Dialogue
- GS00320 - Learning Experience
- GS13020 - Researching the World: data collection and analysis
- GS22920 - Placing Culture
- GS23020 - Placing Politics
- GS25020 - Introduction to Social Theory
- GS31030 - Pollution in the Arctic (UNIS)
- GS33320 - Everyday Social Worlds
- GS33420 - Glaciers and Ice Sheets
- DAS0260 - Lleoliad Gwaith
- GS00420 - Environmental Management
- GS10720 - Life on Earth
- GS17120 - Researching the Social World
- GS21910 - Reconstructing Past Environments
- GS22810 - Geohazards
- GS29020 - Environmental Science Fieldwork
- GS32230 - Arctic Hydrology and Climate Change (UNIS)
- GS39120 - Contemporary Global Migration
- GS28910 - Geographical Perspectives on the Sustainable Society
- GS30320 - Environmental geochemistry and biogeochemistry
- GS32020 - Monitoring our Planet's Health from Space
- GS34220 - Geography Joint Honours/Major Project
- GS14220 - Place and Identity
- GS11320 - Fieldwork Skills
- DA20820 - Astudio Cymru Gyfoes
- DA11520 - Sut i Greu Planed
- GS21520 - Human Geography and Sociology Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- GS20020 - Geography Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- GS21120 - Physical Geography and Environmental Science Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- DA25420 - Dylunio Ymchwil a Sgiliau Gwaith Maes
- GS21420 - Environmental Earth Science Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- DA35140 - Traethawd Estynedig Gwyddor Daear yr Amgylchedd
- DA35240 - Traethawd Estynedig Gwyddor yr Amgylchedd
- GS10020 - Living in a Dangerous World
- DA10020 - Byw mewn Byd Peryglus
Blackboard Dept Admin
- DA34220 - Prosiect Daearyddiaeth Anrhydedd Cyfun/Prif Bwnc
- GS11520 - How to Build a Planet
- GS21010 - Chemical Analysis of Natural Materials
- GS21820 - Field Skills
- GS32120 - Sedimentary Environments
- GS33420 - Glaciers and Ice Sheets
- GS00120 - Foundation - Dialogue
- GS00320 - Learning Experience
- GS01120 - Information in a Post-Truth World
- GS10720 - Life on Earth
- GS16120 - Key Concepts in Sociology
- GS17120 - Researching the Social World
- GS23020 - Placing Politics
- GS30320 - Environmental geochemistry and biogeochemistry
- GS31240 - Sociology Dissertation
- DA11220 - Methodoleg Maes Amgylcheddol
- DA20510 - Ymchwilio i bobl a lle
- GS00420 - Environmental Management
- GS20410 - Concepts for Geographers
- GS24220 - Understanding (in)equality and (in)justice
- GS34040 - Geography Dissertation
- GS36220 - Modern British Landscapes
- GS37520 - Urban Risk and Environmental Resilience
- GS37920 - Memory Cultures: heritage, identity and power
- DA31720 - Rheoli'r Amgylchedd Gymreig
- DA32220 - Cenedlaetholdeb a chymdeithas
- GS22720 - Fundamentals of Geochemistry
- GS23810 - Quantitative Data Analysis
- GS28910 - Geographical Perspectives on the Sustainable Society
- GS32230 - Arctic Hydrology and Climate Change (UNIS)
- GS34220 - Geography Joint Honours/Major Project
- GS35320 - Advanced Fieldwork Skills
- GS39120 - Contemporary Global Migration
- DA23020 - Lleoli Gwleidyddiaeth
- DAS0360 - Lleoliad Gwaith
- GS10220 - Conflict and Change: the making of urban and rural spaces
- GS13020 - Researching the World: data collection and analysis
- GS15120 - Thinking Sociologically
- GS22010 - Physical Analysis of Natural Materials
- GS22920 - Placing Culture
- GS23510 - The Frozen Planet
- GS25020 - Introduction to Social Theory
- GS25210 - Catchment Systems
- GSS0360 - Work Placement
- GS00220 - Foundation in Liberal Arts
- GS20510 - Social Research Methods
- GS29020 - Environmental Science Fieldwork
- GS30020 - The psychosocial century
- GS31030 - Pollution in the Arctic (UNIS)
- GS32020 - Monitoring our Planet's Health from Space
- GS33720 - People, Climate and Environment: a Palaeoenvironmental Perspective
- GS35140 - Environmental Earth Science Dissertation
- DA10520 - Newid a gwrthdaro: Cynhyrchu gofodau gwledig a threfol
- DA22510 - Geomorffoleg Afonol
- DA31240 - Traethawd Estynedig Cymdeithaseg
- DA34040 - Traethawd Estynedig Daearyddiaeth
- GS10520 - Earth Surface Environments
- GS21910 - Reconstructing Past Environments
- GS22810 - Geohazards
- GS30420 - Volcanic Activity: Hazards and Environmental Change
- GS32330 - The Quaternary History of Svalbard (UNIS)
- GS32430 - Arctic Marine Geology (UNIS)
- GS33320 - Everyday Social Worlds
- DAS0260 - Lleoliad Gwaith
- GS12520 - An introduction to Earth Materials
- GS22620 - Advanced Earth Materials
- GS23710 - Geographical Information Systems
- GS31120 - Applied Environmental Management
- GS35240 - Environmental Science Dissertation
- GS36820 - The Global Countryside: Geographical and Sociological Perspectives
- GSS0260 - Work Placement
- GS14220 - Place and Identity
- GS11320 - Fieldwork Skills
- DA20820 - Astudio Cymru Gyfoes
- DA11520 - Sut i Greu Planed
- GS20020 - Geography Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- GS21420 - Environmental Earth Science Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- GS21520 - Human Geography and Sociology Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- GS21120 - Physical Geography and Environmental Science Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- DA25420 - Dylunio Ymchwil a Sgiliau Gwaith Maes
- DA35140 - Traethawd Estynedig Gwyddor Daear yr Amgylchedd
- DA35240 - Traethawd Estynedig Gwyddor yr Amgylchedd
- GS10020 - Living in a Dangerous World
- DA10020 - Byw mewn Byd Peryglus
Tutor
- EAM4120 - Environmental Change: a Palaeo Perspective
- GS33720 - People, Climate and Environment: a Palaeoenvironmental Perspective
- GS10520 - Earth Surface Environments
- EAM4520 - Managing Environmental Change in Practice
- GS21910 - Reconstructing Past Environments
- EAM4320 - Global Climate Change: Debates and Impacts
Lecturer
- EAM4660 - Dissertation in Environmental Change Impacts and Adaptation
- GS13020 - Researching the World: data collection and analysis
- GS35320 - Advanced Fieldwork Skills
- GS12520 - An introduction to Earth Materials
- GS21820 - Field Skills
- GS33720 - People, Climate and Environment: a Palaeoenvironmental Perspective
- GS21120 - Physical Geography and Environmental Science Research Design and Fieldwork Skills
- EAM1120 - Advanced Research Skills 1: science communication and data analysis
Grader
Coordinator
Research
I am a Co-Investigator on an AHRC-funded research project investigating historical weather extremes in the UK (Spaces of experience and horizons of expectation: the implications of weather extremes, past, present and future). With Dr Cerys Jones and Dr Marie-Jeanne Royer, I am focusing on gathering archival research and oral histories of the impacts and responses to weather extremes in Wales over the past three centuries. Our project involves collaboration with Natural Resources Wales and is supported by the Climate Change Consortium of Wales. We teamed up with cooleague at Llen Natur to celebrate the launch of the online transcribed diaries of William Bulkeley, Llanfechell, Anglesey. These diaries, written between 1734 and 1760 represent a key source for our project.
I am participating in the Hominin Sites and Paleoenvironments Drilling Project (2014-2017), which focuses on continental records of climate variability in eastern Africa spanning key periods of human evolution and dispersal. This is an international collaboration between the USA, Germany, Ethiopia and UK scientists, funded by ICDP, NSF, NERC and CRC. As co-investigator on a NERC project led by Prof Henry Lamb, my role is to analyse the diatom record from a 500,000 year record from Chew Bahir in Southern Ethiopia, in collaboration with Prof Phil Barker (Lancaster University).
Current PhD Students
- Gwydion Jones, Swansea University (external supervisor, with Prof. Siwan Davies and Dr. Neil Loader)
- Melanie Kingsbury, University of Stirling (external supervisor, with Dr. Bob McCulloch)
Postdoctoral Supervision
- Dr Marie-Jeanne Royer