John R. Underhill
Encyclopedia
John R. Underhill is Professor of Stratigraphy
in the Grant Institute of Earth Sciences in the University of Edinburgh
, Scotland
and Associate Professor in the Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University
. He was a well-respected football
referee in the Scottish Premier League
until mandatory age retiral in 2008 and was on the FIFA
panel of referees.
in The Hague and London as an exploration geoscientist. He was appointed as lecturer in the Grant Institute of Geology (as it was then) in 1989 before becoming Professor of Stratigraphy in 1998. His main area of geological research is understanding how the Sedimentary Basins form and evolve through the use of seismic interpretation methods. One area of his interdisciplinary geo-research that has received recent acclaim has been an assessment of the geological, geomorphological and geophysical evidence for relocating Odysseus' Homeland, Ancient Ithaca. Underhill was elected to be Vice-President Elect of the European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers (EAGE) in 2009, an organisation that he will lead in 2011-12.
He was the first Englishman to represent Scotland on the FIFA International List of referees officiating at 40 international matches between 1994 and 2006. He was elected by his peers to be the inaugural chairman of the Scottish Senior Football Referees' Association (SSFRA), a position that he held from 2005 until his age-enforced refereeing retiral 2008. Since retiring from the SPL, Underhill has retained an interest in refereeing through Masters Football, a televised indoor 6-a-side tournament which is played throughout the UK each summer and internationally in Dubai, Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur. In 2009, he was one of the first referees to use video technology on live (Sky) TV to correctly disallow a goal and award a penalty for the opposition in the Masters Football Grand Final in the Liverpool Arena, something for which he received critical acclaim.
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
in the Grant Institute of Earth Sciences in the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Associate Professor in the Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
. He was a well-respected football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
until mandatory age retiral in 2008 and was on the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
panel of referees.
Geology
He gained his first degree in geology at Bristol University in 1982. He was awarded a PhD from the University of Wales, Cardiff in 1985; the subject of his thesis being 'Neogene and Quaternary Tectonics and Sedimentation in Western Greece'. He worked for ShellRoyal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
in The Hague and London as an exploration geoscientist. He was appointed as lecturer in the Grant Institute of Geology (as it was then) in 1989 before becoming Professor of Stratigraphy in 1998. His main area of geological research is understanding how the Sedimentary Basins form and evolve through the use of seismic interpretation methods. One area of his interdisciplinary geo-research that has received recent acclaim has been an assessment of the geological, geomorphological and geophysical evidence for relocating Odysseus' Homeland, Ancient Ithaca. Underhill was elected to be Vice-President Elect of the European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers (EAGE) in 2009, an organisation that he will lead in 2011-12.
Football
Underhill began refereeing while at Bristol University after taking up running to recuperate from an ankle injury. He subsequently refereed in the Welsh Leagues, whilst undertaking his PhD in Cardiff (1982-85), in Dutch Football (during 1986) before returning to England and officiating in the Southern League and Football Combination (1986-89). Underhill moved to Edinburgh in 1989 and refereed in local leagues until being promoted to the SFA's Senior List of Referees in 1991. He refereed the Junior Cup Final between Largs and Glenafton at Ibrox in 1994 and was then elevated to become a Grade One Referee at the start of the 1994-95 season. He officiated his first SPL match (between Raith Rovers and Motherwell) at the start of the 1995-96 season and remained a top flight official in Scotland and Europe from 1994 until reaching the retiral age for officials in Scotland at the end of the 2007-08 season. His last SPL games were Gretna v Hearts and Motherwell v Rangers in May 2008.He was the first Englishman to represent Scotland on the FIFA International List of referees officiating at 40 international matches between 1994 and 2006. He was elected by his peers to be the inaugural chairman of the Scottish Senior Football Referees' Association (SSFRA), a position that he held from 2005 until his age-enforced refereeing retiral 2008. Since retiring from the SPL, Underhill has retained an interest in refereeing through Masters Football, a televised indoor 6-a-side tournament which is played throughout the UK each summer and internationally in Dubai, Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur. In 2009, he was one of the first referees to use video technology on live (Sky) TV to correctly disallow a goal and award a penalty for the opposition in the Masters Football Grand Final in the Liverpool Arena, something for which he received critical acclaim.
Awards
- 1992 Received the President's award of the Geological Society of LondonGeological Society of LondonThe Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
- 1992 Received the Matson Award from the AAPG for excellence in presentation
- 1999 He was an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer
- 2000 Awarded the Wollaston Fund of the Geological Society of London
- 2004 Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of EdinburghRoyal Society of EdinburghThe Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
.