Stephen Rippington

Background

About Stephen Rippington

It started with stories. As a kid, I was hooked on the visions of the future presented in science fiction; I wanted to emulate the authors I admired and propose innovative solutions to the great technological and societal challenges they presented.As I got older, I wanted to do the science myself, to learn about the Earth and the way it works. This led to a PhD researching intraplate mountain building and ancient orogenic belts, several adventures in some of the world’s most inhospitable places (the Gobi Desert and the High Arctic) and opportunities to carry out applied structural and tectonic research in some of the world's greatest geological frontiers (Central Asia, the NW Atlantic and Barents Sea, SW Pacific, E and W Africa). Now I combine my passion for communicating complex ideas and my scientific interests in multiple roles:1. I’m a consultant proposal writer at Iconiq Innovation. I help organisations find the value in their ideas and obtain funding through public mechanisms (e.g. Horizon 2020, Innovate UK). I love exploring new ideas and working out how to use them. I'm fortunate that I get to do this for organisations ranging across multiple sectors, including geoscience, agri-tech, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, AI and data analytics, and chemicals.2. I am a Director and the Principal Consultant at Astute Geoscience. I combine my expertise in structural geology, tectonics and integrated seismic and potential fields interpretation with my passion for communicating complex technical ideas by consulting for clients ranging from governments, to service companies, to leading global exploration and operation companies in the minerals and oil and gas sectors.3. I am an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leicester. I pursue my ongoing research interests in orogenic processes, tectonics and crustal evolution, specifically in Central Asia, the Atlantic Margins and NW Europe through collaboration with researchers at the university, and occasionally pitch in on field courses and seminars.Keywords: geoscience, geology, exploration, proposal writing, advanced manufacturing, engineering, renewable energy, biotechnology, agricultural technology, space science, innovate UK, EU.