Rate My Professor Andy Nicol

Professor Andy Nicol is the Professor of Structural Geology in the School of Earth and Environment, Faculty of Science at the University of Canterbury, a position he has held since February 2015. He currently serves as Associate Head and Geology 400-level Coordinator, effective from 28 July 2025. Prior to his appointment at the University of Canterbury, Nicol worked as a Structural Geologist at GNS Science from 1995 to January 2015, following postdoctoral positions at the Fault Analysis Group, University of Liverpool, and GNS Science after completing his PhD. Throughout his career, he has focused on geological structures and tectonics, establishing himself as a world leader in fault growth through far-reaching research and a hugely significant body of published work exceeding 288 peer-reviewed papers and over 12,000 citations.

Nicol's research specializations encompass tectonic faults, geohazards, earthquake science, paleoearthquake records, subduction interfaces, and underground storage of green hydrogen. His contributions include studies on the Kaikōura earthquake, incompleteness of paleoearthquake records, along-strike extent of earthquakes on multi-segment faults, and New Zealand's potential for natural hydrogen to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. He has co-authored key publications such as 'AFG - Active Faults Greece: a comprehensive database of 6,000+ faults' (2025, Scientific Data), 'Comparison of Paleoearthquake Elapsed-Times and Mean Recurrence Intervals on Subduction Interfaces' (2025, Journal of Geophysical Research), 'Why Do Large Earthquakes Appear to be Rarely “Overdue” for Aotearoa New Zealand Faults?' (2024, Seismological Research Letters), and 'Introduction to the Kaikōura earthquake special issue' (2023, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics). Nicol's impact is recognized through awards including the Ngā Ahurei Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2026 for expertise in tectonic faults and geohazards, and the Hochstetter Lecturer Award from the Geoscience Society of New Zealand in 2008. He teaches courses including Structural Geology and Global Geophysics (GEOL244), Principles of Basin Analysis (GEOL331), and supervises postgraduate students in geology. Additionally, he serves as guest editor for a Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America special issue and contributes to national research programs on earthquakes and tsunamis.