Professor Benjamin J. W. Mills
- Position: Professor of Earth System Evolution
- Areas of expertise: Biogeochemistry; Computer modelling; Earth history; Earth system science
- Email: B.Mills@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 9830
- Location: 9.151 School of Earth and Environment
- Website: Earth Evolution Modelling Group Homepage | Life and Planet conference | Googlescholar | Researchgate | ORCID
Profile
I am a biogeochemist and numerical modeller who works on the evolution of the Earth System over geological time. I am interested in the changes in the surface environment that have made our planet habitable for complex life, what has driven these changes, and whether a similar trajectory might be possible on other worlds.
I lead the Earth Evolution Modelling Group, which built and maintains the SCION Earth Evolution Model – the world’s only 3D simulated planetary environment that can be integrated over billions of years. Our new ERC/UKRI project ‘SIM-EARTH’ is developing the second generaiton of this framework, and hopes to answer many exciting questions about how our planet works, and how planetary environments in general might be expected to evolve.
I am the chair of the Earth System Science Group of the Geological Socitey of London, and lead the yearly Life and Planet conference
Research interests
- Earth System Modelling
- Co-evolution of Earth and Life
- Biogeochemistry
- Paleoclimate
- Paleobiology and Paleoecology
- Exoplanets
- After the cataclysm: cryptic degassing and delayed recovery in the wake of Large Igneous Province volcanism
- Determining the nature and drivers of Earth’s first metazoan radiation and subsequent extinction: The Cambrian ‘Explosion’ and Sinsk Event
- NEOEARTH - Whole Earth Systems During Neoproterozoic Animal Evolution
- North China craton: A unique window into Earth's middle age
- PlantFun: How did the evolution of plants, microbial symbionts and terrestrial nutrient cycles change Earth's long-term climate?
- SIM-EARTH: Simulating the evolution of Earth's environment
Qualifications
- PhD, University of East Anglia
- MMath, University of East Anglia
Professional memberships
- Fellow of the Geological Society of London (FGS)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Member of the American Geophysical Union
- Member of the European Geosciences Union
- Member of the Geological Society of America
- Member of the European Association of Geochemistry
- Member of the Geochemical Society
Student education
- Level 1: Earth history, co-evolution of Earth and life
- Level 2: Computer programming and data analytics
- Level 3: Carbon cycle modelling
- Level 5: Advanced Earth System modelling
Research groups and institutes
- Earth Surface Science Institute
- Cohen Geochemistry
- Palaeo@Leeds