Dr Stephen Lokier

About

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. My work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

I am an academic at the University of Derby with more than 25 years of practical applied experience in the fields of sedimentary geology, reservoir characterisation, palaeontology, sequence stratigraphy and environmental geology, working with academia, industry, local government and NGO’s.

After receiving my undergraduate degree in Geological Sciences from Oxford Brookes University I moved to Royal Holloway, University of London where my PhD looked at the development of Miocene age carbonate systems in a volcanic island arc setting, particularly focusing on the interactions between carbonates and siliciclastic sediments.

On completing my PhD, I spent four years in industry working on a wide range of petroleum reservoir systems throughout the Middle East. In 2004 I joined the recently-formed Petroleum Institute (now Khalifa University) in Abu Dhabi where I taught a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and led numerous research projects looking at recent and ancient sedimentary systems. One of the long-term topics of my research has been the sedimentary systems of the Abu Dhabi sabkha where three projects are currently active focusing on the effects of sea level rise, early diagenetic systems, and facies mapping.

I am passionate about public outreach and societal engagement, speaking at a range of public and societal events in the UK and internationally.

In 2023 I was awarded the Geological Society R H Worth Medal in recognition of achievements in outreach, public engagement and education in acknowledgment of founding and coordinating Seds Online, an initiative to globally unite and support all sedimentologists, regardless of background.

Between 2014-2024 I was a member of the Bureau of the International Association of Sedimentologists (Vice President 2014-18, General Secretary 2018-2024).

I currently supervise two PhD students.

Research interests

I study a broad range of recent sediments and ancient sedimentary rocks in order to understand depositional processes and apply this understanding to interpreting ancient depositional environments. A particular focus of my research has been the study of carbonate deposition in stressed environments including settings under the influence of volcanic activity and arid high-salinity settings such as those found in the Arabian Gulf. My research has academic, industrial and societal applications.

Current PhD Students

Recent publications

Below are some of my most recent publications: For a more complete overview of my research, please see my ResearchGate and Google Scholar profiles.

Mono, P., Hoffmann, R., Wisshak, M., Lokier, S.W., Pederson, C.L., Hennhoefer, D., Diaz, M.R., Swart, P.K., Nehrke, G. and Immenhauser, A. (2024) Microborings reveal alternating agitation, resting and sleeping stages of modern marine ooids. Sedimentology, 71, 359-382
Zhong, Y., Lokier, S.W., Pederson, C.L., Fiorini, F., Hennhoefer, D., Ge, Y. and Immenhauser, A. (2023) Carbonate sediment dynamics in the Abu Dhabi lagoon - implications for low-angle inner-to-middle ramp models. Marine Geology, 465, 107172
Unger, T., Saillol, M., Aretz, M., Lokier, S., Mueller, M., Karius, V. and Immenhauser, A. (2023) Inside a sediment-stressed Middle Devonian carpet reef: Cave exposes details of three-dimensional facies architecture and palaeoecology. Sedimentology, 70, 1251-1280
Lokier, S.W. (2023) Marine carbonate sedimentation in volcanic settings. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 520, 547-594
Ge, Y., Pederson, C. L., Lokier, S. W., Strauss, H., & Immenhauser, A. (2023). Radiaxial fibrous calcite forms via early marine-diagenetic alteration of micritic magnesium calcite. Sedimentology, 70(2), 434-450. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.13064
Pederson, C.L., Ge, Y., Lokier, S.W., Swart, P.K., Vonhof, H., Strauss, H., Schurr, S., Fiorini, F., Riechelmann, S., Licha, T. and Immenhauser, A. (2021). Seawater chemistry of a modern subtropical ‘epeiric’ sea: Spatial variability and effects of organic Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 314, 159-177. DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2021.09.024
Dunn, S.K., Pufahl, P.K., Murphy, J.B. & Lokier, S.W. (2021). Middle Ordovician upwelling-related ironstone of North Wales: coated grains, ocean chemistry, and biological evolution. Frontiers in Earth Science, 9 (709), 1-24. DOI: 10.3389/feart.2021.669476
Ge, Y., Della Porta, G., Pederson, C. L., Lokier, S. W., Hoffmann, R., & Immenhauser, A. (2021). Botryoidal and Spherulitic Aragonite in Carbonates Associated with Microbial Mats: Precipitation or Diagenetic Replacement Product? Frontiers in Earth Science, 9(488), 1-22. doi:10.3389/feart.2021.698952
Paul, A., Lokier, S.W., Sherry, A., Andrade, L.L., Court, W.M., Van Der Land, C., Dutton, K.E. & Head, I.M. (2021). Erosion-initiated stromatolite and thrombolite formation in a present-day coastal sabkha setting. Sedimentology, 68, 382-401. DOI: 10.1111/se

Membership of professional bodies

Fellow of the Geological Society of London
Division officer and member of the European Geosciences Union
Member of the British Sedimentological Research Group
Member of the International Association of Sedimentologists
Member of the Palaeontological Association

Professional interests

My current roles and responsibilities

Founder and coordinator of Seds Online
Associate editor of the journal Sedimentology
Associate editor of the journal Facies
Manuscript reviewer for numerous journals including; Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology, Earth and Science Reviews, Quaternary Research, Facies, The Depositional Record, Sedimentology, Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, Sedimentary Geology and many more
European Geosciences Union (EGU) Science Officer for Carbonate Sedimentology within the Division for Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology (SSP)
Co-founder of The Carbonate Forum
Consultant for numerous museum and public outreach projects

Qualifications

1996 – 2000 D. Royal Holloway, University of London - ‘The Miocene Wonosari Formation, Java Indonesia: Volcaniclastic influences on carbonate platform development’
1992 - 1996 Sc. Hons (1st Class), Geological Sciences, Oxford Brookes University

Recent conferences

My research has been disseminated in over 140 presentations at national and international conferences. For the sake of brevity, only the five most recent presentations are listed here:

Lokier, S.W. The Case of the Shrinking Sabkha: The future of sabkha research in the UAE. 37^thInternational meeting of Sedimentology, Aberdeen, UK
Mbachu, C., Lees, K., Bulling, M., & Lokier, S.W. 2024. Enhanced weathering for carbon dioxide drawdown in a temperate agricultural setting. 37^thInternational meeting of Sedimentology, Aberdeen, UK
Zhong, Y., Lokier, S., Diaz, M.R., Bontognali, T. & Immenhauser, A., 2024. Microbe-sediment interaction promotes the earliest stages of marine seafloor lithification. 37^thInternational meeting of Sedimentology, Aberdeen, UK
Unger T., Saillol, M., Aretz, M., Lokier, S., Mueller, M., Immenhauser, A. 2023. ‘The Klutert
Biostrome: A model for reefs in sediment-stressed environments?’. 14^th Symposium of
the International Fossil Coral and Reef Society (IFCRS), Chęciny, Poland
Mbachu, C., Lees, K., Bulling, M., & Lokier, S. 2023. Natural Geochemical Weathering Strategies for Enhanced Carbon dioxide Drawdown in Agriculture and Regenerative Land Management. British Sedimentology Research Group Annual Meeting, Loughborough, UK

Experience in industry

For several years I was directly employed in industry working on a wide range of sedimentary systems throughout the Middle East. I have over 25 years of research collaboration with industry - working on a range of projects to better characterise and understand the sub-surface.

More recently, I have undertaken consultancy work for both the energy sector, governmental organisations and educational institutions.

In the media

My research on microbial communities and sea level rise has been featured in news articles.

I have advised on numerous documentaries including the BBC’s Wild Arabia. I have also contributed to the design and development of the Earth Sciences Galleries of the soon to be opened Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi.

International experience

My research has taken me all over the world studying, describing, interpreting and explaining recent and ancient sedimentary systems in a global context. I have lived in the Middle East for over 16 years and have spent extended periods in Southeast Asia and Europe.

Stephen have taught field courses in the UK, Spain, Italy, Oman and the UAE.

Teaching responsibilities

I am the Programme Leader for the MSc in GeoEnergy.

I teach on numerous undergraduate and postgraduate modules including;

4EV504 Climate, Atmospheres and Oceans (level 4)*
5GG508 Sustainable Energy Resources (level 5)*
5GL505 Applied Sedimentology (level 5)*
7GL506 Global Energy Challenges (level 7)*
7GL508 Geofluid Behaviour (level 7)
7GL509 Subsurface Interpretation Methods (level 7)*
7GL510 Positioning and Designing Wells and Reservoir Modelling (level 7)*
7GL511 Integrated Energy Evaluation (level 7)*

[*] Module Leader

I also coordinate and supervise the online course - Bridge to GeoEnergy.

I supervise undergraduate students during their third-year Independent Research Projects as well as numerous Masters Projects and PhDs.