Two Lancaster University graduates have received Alumni Awards in recognition of their outstanding achievements at this December’s postgraduate graduation ceremonies.

Dr Graham Ryan

PhD Environmental Science 2002

Graham Ryan is Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, the first Montserratian to hold the post. A highly regarded volcanologist and geophysicist, he has worked at the British Geological Survey, the University of Auckland and the University of the West Indies.

Graham’s interest in the Soufriere Hills volcano is personal: the series of eruptions that afflicted Montserrat between 1995 and 2013 had a major impact on the life of all islanders, including his family.

Graham’s ground-breaking research includes the first three-dimensional model of the geothermal system that has developed on Montserrat since the eruptions, which has been a key step towards exploiting the island’s geothermal energy potential.

Dr Mark Ritson

BSc Marketing 1993

PhD Marketing 1996

Mark Ritson is widely acknowledged as one of the world's best marketing instructors and has been the recipient of multiple awards for his teaching in London, Melbourne and Massachusetts. He has worked as a brand consultant for global clients including McKinsey, Subaru, Donna Karan, Westpac, Johnson & Johnson and Ericsson.

Mark contributes regularly to Marketing Week, The Australian and Harvard Business Review, and has won the Business Columnist of the Year at the PPA Press Awards on three occasions. Mark’s research was cited by George Akerlof during his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, and he has also been recognised by the Australian Marketing Institute with the Sir Charles McGrath Award.