ProfessorBen Kennedy

Professor Ben Kennedy is passionate about understanding rocks and sharing that excitement with others. He focuses on two major research questions: why volcanoes erupt and how people learn and teach most effectively about planet Earth. His work sits at the intersection of volcanology, geoscience education, hazard communication, and transdisciplinary collaboration, blending scientific discovery with innovative approaches to learning.

Ben’s research is shaped by the needs of society, particularly around volcanic‑hazard awareness, risk reduction, and science learning. He works closely with schools, international universities, research institutes, government agencies, and industry partners to understand what communities need to know about volcanoes and how they want to learn. His findings are used by government organisations responsible for volcano monitoring, hazard mapping, and eruption‑risk communication, and they also influence how teachers and lecturers design field‑based and digital learning experiences for thousands of students. In 2023, Ben received the Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize, recognising his leadership in public engagement and science communication. 

Driven by curiosity, creativity, and a sense of adventure, Ben travels widely to study volcanoes and collect rocks. His fieldwork spans Aotearoa New Zealand — including Tongariro, Ruapehu, Whakaari/White Island, the Auckland Volcanic Field, and Banks Peninsula — as well as volcanic systems around the world such as Krafla (Iceland), Puyehue (Chile), Kīlauea (Hawai‘i), and Yasur (Vanuatu).

Current Research Projects include:

• Learning on virtual and real field trips - Investigating how students learn geoscience through immersive virtual field trips and hands‑on field experiences.
• Digital storytelling for volcanic hazards - Developing online tools that help communities understand volcanic risk through narrative, visualisation, and interactive design.
• Earthquake experiments on magma - Shaking magma in the laboratory to explore how seismic activity influences eruption likelihood and magma behaviour.
• Communicating science around drilling into magma - Supporting public engagement and education for the Krafla Magma Testbed, an international project drilling into a magma chamber to advance geothermal energy.
• Mapping volcanic ballistics with drones and cannons - Using drones, high‑speed imaging, and ballistic experiments to improve hazard maps for explosive eruptions.
• Making and mapping lava flows - Creating lava flows in the laboratory and mapping real flows on Mt Ruapehu to understand emplacement processes.
• Linking eruption videos with monitoring data - Integrating high‑resolution eruption videos with seismic, acoustic, and gas data at Whakaari/White Island and Yasur to improve eruption forecasting.

Link to free online volcano courses:

• https://www.edx.org/resources/cultural-curiosity-cool-explosions-meet-edx-prize-winning-volcano-course-instructors
• https://www.edx.org/learn/energy/university-of-canterbury-volcano-field-science-culture-and-communication-new-zealand
• https://www.edx.org/learn/energy/university-of-canterbury-exploring-volcanoes-and-their-hazards-in-iceland