Introduction

I was born on 16th March 1986, the only son of Ian and Patricia Myhill. I have lived most of my life in Kessingland, a small, quiet village on the East Coast of England with my father, mother and sister, Anna. In 2004, I completed my education Sir John Leman High School, Beccles, and began my undergraduate degree at Peterhouse, Cambridge. Having graduated in June 2008 with a BA and MSci in the Natural Sciences (specialising in the Earth Sciences), I am now beginning my PhD at the Bullard Laboratories in Cambridge, working on the Mechanisms of Deep Focus Earthquakes.

Geology

From the age of three, I had been hooked by geology. Like many small boys, dinosaurs fascinated me, and I would spend hours whenever I could in museums with my parents, staring at those great leviathons that once roamed the surface of the Earth. At around the age of 6, I briefly became infatuated with butterflies and moths, and came as close to becoming a biologist as I think I've ever been. However, luckily (?!) at the age of about 10 I recieved a rock tumbler from my grandmother, and although I only used it for perhaps two years, my enthusiasm for collecting rock and mineral specimens only grew. I avidly read the magazine 'Treasures of the Earth' for its three-year run, and by the time it had finished I had my first wooden cabinet for my by now burgeoning displays. By this time I'm sure that both my parents and myself knew that my fate was sealed.

Today, of course, I've translated my passion for collection into study - and I love it. In addition to working and going on field trips, I am also an active member of the department outreach, Time Truck, and with them have traveled to such exotic locations as Wales in order to spread the good word. In my student days (which were not very long ago at all!), I was also the president of Cambridge's student geological society, the Sedgwick Club, the oldest of its kind in the world. With them I organised weekly talks, one-off presentations to the 1st and 2nd years on both the subject in general and mapping in particular, and arranged dinners at the end of the Michaelmas and Easter Terms. I was also in charge of organising the annual Magical Mystery Tour, a weekend to a top secret location (different every year, which is only known by the committee) designed for third and fourth year students to relax after handing in their theses.

Other Interests

Some of the other activities I indulge in are volunteer work, with the Sedgwick Museum in Cambridge, with SEEK (Science and Engineering Experiments for Kids), and freelance teaching in schools. I am also a member of St John Ambulance, and a keen musician (Piano and Oboe, which I play in the college chamber orchestra). In my spare time I enjoy reading, watching and listening to comedy shows and more or less any kind of music. In 2006-2007 I was chairman of the Cambridge University Football Leagues, presiding over 78 teams - quite a job!

My Diaries

My diary may be found here. In addition, my field blog may be found here.

My Current Schedule