Dr Evgenia Ilyinskaya

Profile

I am an Associate Professor at the Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics. My research focuses on volcanic gases and aerosol particles, with the overarching aim of understanding impact of volcanic activity on the environment, the atmosphere and people. My work involves sampling and measurement campaigns at active volcanoes and laboratory analyses. I have worked with volcanoes in Iceland, Central America, Hawaii, Antarctica, and Japan.

I grew up in Iceland where my interest in active volcanoes was ignited. I decided to focus on volcanic gases following two summers of fieldwork at the Iceland Geo Survey. After completing my PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2011 I worked at the Icelandic volcano observatory (part of the Icelandic Met Office) 2011-2012, where I pioneered implementation of volcanic gas measurements as a monitoring tool for Icelandic volcanic systems. I also led the compilation of the Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes http://icelandicvolcanoes.is This is a large collaboration between various institutes and civil protection in Iceland. The Catalogue is an open-access web resource intended to serve as an accurate and official source of information about the Icelandic volcanic systems.

I have published 30+ peer-reviewed papers and led and/or contributed to 4 major reports on volcanic activity and hazard, including the 2015 UNISDR Global Assessment Report on volcanic risk.

Previous employment:

2020-current: Associate Professor, University of Leeds

2015-2020: University Academic Fellow, University of Leeds

2012-2015: British Geological Survey, Edinburgh.

2011-2012: Icelandic Meteorological Office (the national volcano observatory), Reykjavik.

2011-2012: Part-time lecturer at the Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik.

Responsibilities

• Volcanology research cluster leader
• Module leader for Environmental Science for Sustainability

Research interests

• Chemistry of volcanic gas and aerosol
• Interaction of volcanic emissions with the background atmosphere
• Chemical evolution of volcanic plumes in the atmosphere
• Impact of volcanic gas and aerosol on the environment and people

My research focuses on volcanic gases and aerosol particles, with the overarching aim of understanding impact of volcanic activity on the environment, the atmosphere and people. My work involves sampling and measurement campaigns at active volcanoes and laboratory analyses. I have worked with volcanoes in Iceland, Central America, Hawaii, Antarctica, and Japan.

I led a NERC urgency grant (2014-2015) on Holuhraun large fissure eruption in Iceland 2014-2015 that discovered a previously unrecognised volcanic plume dispersion dynamics and an associated ‘unforeseen’ air pollution hazard (Ilyinskaya et al, EPSL, 2017). I then co-led a study that showed significant health impacts of this newly recognised volcanic air pollution hazard (Carlsen and Ilyinskaya et al, Nature Communications, 2021). Since the onset of the Reykjanes eruptions in Iceland in 2021 I have been researching the chemistry of the volcanic emissions from these eruptions (Wainman et al,G-cubed, 2024) their dispersion into urban spaces; and the societal impacts of the activity (Ilyinskaya et al. NHESS, 2024). I currently lead a NERC urgency grant (2024-2025) researching the emissions and air pollution where lava causes wildfires and/or burns infrastructure.

I led two GCRF projects in Nicaragua on building resilience to volcanic and urban air pollution in economically vulnerable nations. As part of these projects we co-created a short documentary with local communities on what it is like to live wtih volcanic gases. 

Qualifications

• 2006-2011: Ph.D. in Volcanology. University of Cambridge,
• 2003-2006 B.Sc. Honours in Geology. Royal Holloway, University of London

Professional memberships

• European Geophysical Union (EGU)
• International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
• IAVCEI Commission on the Chemistry of Volcanic Gases (CCVG)
• IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazard and Risk
• The Aerosol Society

Student education

I'm involved in undergraduate teaching at all levels, from introduction modules on chemistry, field mapping and general academic skills, to more specialised modules in later years (e.g. Volcanic processes at level 3 and 5).

I am the module leader for Environmental Science for Sustainability module (SOEE1461)

Research groups and institutes

• Volcanology
• Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics

Current postgraduate researchers

• Rosie Lewis
• Laura Wainman