Simon Klemperer on Mount Kilimanjaro

Simon Klemperer became a professor of geophysics after studying at Cambridge University and Cornell University. He has taken a special interest in introducing Stanford undergraduates to scientific research, helping found SESUR (Stanford Earth Summer of Undergraduate Research) and involving them in his fieldwork on three continents, including in the East African Rift, the (indirect) focus of this trip. He believes fieldwork is the best part of a geological career.

Simon initially visited the East African Rift in Ethiopia 25 years ago, as part of a National Science Foundation group to formulate an international collaborative experiment across the Rift. There, he studied the interactions of continental extension, or stretching, with volcanism. Since then, Simon has extended his research north and south along the rift system to active volcanoes in Saudi Arabia and earthquakes in Malawi that teach us about Earth’s mantle layers, including vertically beneath Kilimanjaro. As Simon notes, “Closer to home, this research informs our studies of eastern California/Nevada’s Basin-and-Range Province of magmatism and stretching.” His favorite Stanford class includes a field excursion to eastern California’s volcanoes and faults, allowing students to viscerally understand the Earth by seeing the landscapes and touching the rocks.

During the program, Simon hopes to share his love of interpreting the physical world, and to communicate the dynamic geological processes that shape East Africa's landscape and impact its society. He will talk about Earth history—why and when the Rift Valley formed; volcanism—how Kili grew, and what we can see of its volcanic processes, and of the glacial processes that shaped it; and Human prehistory—the role of the Rift Valley in the evolution of hominids, hominins, and humans. Throughout the series, Simon will emphasize the interconnectedness of geological forces and their influence on both the natural environment and human activities.

Positions

• Professor of Geophysics, Stanford University

• Professor (by courtesy), Earth & Planetary Sciences 

Accolades

• George P. Woollard Award, Geological Society of America (2026)

• Union Fellow, American Geophysical Union (2018)

• National Geographic Explorer (2015)

• Allan Cox Medal, Stanford University, Faculty Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research (2008)

• Fellow, Geological Society of America (1995)

• President’s Award, Geological Society of London (1988)

Academic History

• PhD, Geophysics, 1985, Cornell University

• MA, 1984, Cambridge University

• BA, Mineralogy and Petrology, 1980, Cambridge University