About the Author: Professor Andrew Shaw Goudie is a geographer at the University of Oxford specialising in desert geomorphology, dust storms, weathering and climatic change in the tropics. He has also known for his teaching and textbooks on human impacts on the environment. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of many books and papers. He has received many awards for his work. He is also Director of the China Centre in Oxford (from January 2011) and President of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (from November 2011).
Professor Heather A. Viles is a geographer with major interests in geomorphology and heritage science. Much of her research focuses on the application of science to heritage conservation. She is currently Professor of Biogeomorphology and Heritage Conservation, having previously been a University Lecturer and then Reader in the University of Oxford. She is a Fellow of Worcester College and a lecturer at St Hilda's College. She is also an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand. She obtained an MA in Geography from the University of Cambridge and a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford. Her Ph.D. thesis focused on the role of microorganisms in weathering limestone and was based on fieldwork on Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. After completing her Ph.D., she undertook post-doctoral research on the contribution of acid rain to the deterioration of English cathedrals. Prof. Viles was awarded a 650th anniversary Gold Medal, by Charles University, Prague (1998) for her contributions to international research collaboration in geomorphology.
