Jim Buckman received a BSc in Geological Sciences from Aston University in 1986, and a Phd in ichnological studies (trace fossils) from Queen's University Belfast in 1992. Since 1996 he has been running the scanning electron microscopy facility, at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, where he undertakes research in a range of areas, mainly within the earth and biological sciences: mudrocks, limestones, diagenesis, heavy minerals, wetability studies, protists (mainly testate amoebae), tube forming annelids. He is a member of the Geological Society, and the Royal Society of Microscopy.
Max Webb received a PhD in Geology from the University of Wollongong (Australia) in 2019 on the geology and tectonic evolution of the island of New Guinea, using U-Pb zircon geochronology and isotope studies to understand the timing of arc-continent collisions. Following this he worked as a PDRA from 2019-2023 within the SE Asia Research Group (SEARG) at Royal Holloway University of London. Here he studied the sedimentary provenance of Cenozoic sediments in the Nicobar Fan and South China Sea, bringing expertise in geochronology to heavy mineral analysis workflows. He now works as a Senior Technician in The Lyell Centre at Heriot-Watt University using scanning electron microscopy to image, identify, and characterise the microplastic contents of waterways in Vietnam and their potential impact on the aquatic environment.
