KAREN MAIR

Professor of Geophysics | Master in Sound Design | Master in Design Informatics

Born Aberdeen, Scotland

karenmairdesign@gmail.com | www.karenmair.org

Education

• 2021: MScR (with Merit) in Sound Design, Reid School of Music, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh

• 2020: MA (with Distinction) in Design Informatics, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh

• 1997: PhD in Geology and Geophysics, University of Edinburgh, UK

• 1993: BSc (Honours) in Geophysics, University of Edinburgh, UK

Positions

since 06.2024: Researcher in hydroacoustic monitoring (part time), School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh

since 01.2023: Founder, KarenMairDesign, Edinburgh, UK

since 01.2023: Tutor in Product Design, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh

2018-2022: Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Norway

2011-2018: Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo

2011-2014: Co-ordinator Science-Art and Outreach, Centre for Physics of Geological Processes (PGP), University of Oslo

2005-2010: Senior Researcher and Group Leader, PGP, University of Oslo

2000-2004: Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow, University of Liverpool, UK

1997-2000: Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Scientific track record

39 publications (ca 95 proceedings); H-Index=26; i10-Index = 33; citations=2953 (Scopus); 41 keynote or invited talks

• /visit_my_google_scholar_profile/

• /visit_my_scopus_profile/

• /visit_my_orchid_profile/

Masters and PhD Dissertations

Mair, K., 2021: Fieldtrips through sound: Can geoscience sonification benefit from a sound crafting approach?, dissertation thesis for MScR in Sound Design, University of Edinburgh (grade: A)

Mair, K., 2020: Sounding out the Environment, dissertation thesis for MA in Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh (grade: A)

Mair, K., 1997: Experimental studies of fault zone development in a porous sandstone thesis for Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics, University of Edinburgh

Exhibitions, events, sound design and public engagement

2024 Land Curves: Finse - Our interactive sound sculpture (Holbrook, U.A.S. and Mair, K.) features as a public installation at Waterstone’s bookshop Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, during Nordic Music Days. /link/

2023 Sounds of Water Environments Under Stress, Panel presentation with composer Eleni-Ira Panourgia during UNESCO Week of Sound, Edinburgh, October 2023. /link/

2023 100 Found Sounds, A listening project to seek out, record and share sonic snippets of daily life, every day for 100 days. /link/

2023 Creating soundtracks for GeoScience: Exploring the use of non-visual tools for accessible learning Karen Mair, Elliot Termote and Matteo Demurtas /link/

2023 Friction EP, A sonic exploration of frictional processes at play as geological faults slide released on soundcloud and bandcamp (Termote E. and Mair K.) /soundcloud_link/

2022 Land Curves: Finse, Interactive sound sculpture, Territories Exhibition, Lydgalleriet Bergen, November 2022, (Holbrook, U.A.S. and Mair, K.) /soundcloud_link/

2022 Our Porous World, Science communication exhibition, University of Bergen Museum, (provided recordings of rock crushing sounds), 2022 /link/

2022 Murmurations 3: Species, Compilation album of field recordings, Glenshee, Scotland (curated by Jez Riley French). Responsible for track 14, Linn of Dee Tee (Mair K. and Sturgeon J.). Released on Bandcamp, November 2022 /bandcamp_link/

2022 Sonification for geoscience, Geoønsdag invited lecture, Science library, University of Oslo, April 2022 (Mair, K.) /youtube_link/

2018 Listening Lab on ‘rock music’, in Rip it up - history of Scottish pop exhibition, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK, (Mair, K. and Barrett, N.)

2014 Sonification and Visualisation in Geosciences, Special scientific session, European Geoscience Union Meeting, Vienna, (Mair, K. and Barrett, N.)

2011 CRUSH-2, Interactive sound-art installation, Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology, Oslo (Barrett, N. and Mair K.)

2011 AFTERSHOCK, Interactive 3D sound art installation, Galleri ROM, Oslo (Barrett, N. and Mair, K.)

Design related funding and scholarships

2022-2023: Creating soundtracks for geoScience: Exploring the use of non-visual tools for accessible learning, iEarth seed project, University of Bergen

2022-2023: Pilot study for a Geomechanics Sound Library, Småforsk grant, University of Oslo

2021-2023: Land Curves, Territories project, Arts Council Norway

2021: Edinburgh Flaneur, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Grant, University of Edinburgh (with Morgan Currie, University of Edinburgh)

2020: Art in and out of lockdown, funded by Creative Informatics, UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (with Morgan Currie, University of Edinburgh)

2019-2020: Andrew Grant Postgraduate Scholarship, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh

Technical and software skills

Field and studio sound recording, sound editing, sound design, audio programming, audio crafting, physical computing (arduino, raspberry pi, M5StickC-Plus, IoT), CAD, Max8, Reaper, Logic Pro, Python, LIDAR, photogrammetry, numerical modelling. Data processing, analysis and presentation. Data sonification (mapping data to sound). MS Office suite, web design, conference presentation.

Teaching and supervision

During my teaching position at University of Oslo, I was course responsible for 5 graduate level courses and taught on a further 4 courses as well as various laboratory based courses and field excursions. I directed a new Masters program in Geohazards (2011 - 2016) and supervised 14 Masters students, 8 PhD students and 4 postdoctoral fellows. I currently Tutor on two courses (Electronic Things and Connected Things) in Product - Design BA (Hons) at Edinburgh College of Art.

Fieldwork

Extensive geological and geophysical fieldwork experience as a researcher/ teacher/ supervisor in a range of diverse and often hostile environments. Field locations have included: Utah, Nevada, Arizona, USA; Patagonia, Argentina; Svalbard; Bergen Arcs, Norway; Roros, Norway; Garnos, Norway; Cyprus; Corsica; Scotland. Fieldwork has varied from day trips to month long campaigns and has involved a range of quantitative tools and analyses including drone imaging and photogrammetry.

Languages

• English (native)
• Basic Norwegian (resident in Norway for 15 years)
• Conversational French

Other skills

• Full UK driving license (1988); Ontario driving license (2003)
• Off road 4x wheel drive experience in remote field areas
• Rifle Training, UNIS, Svalbard (2018)
• Zodiac Inflatable Piloting and safety, UNIS, Svalbard (2018)
• Arctic Safety course, UNIS, Svalbard (2018)