Dr Thomas Wilkes

School of Geography and Planning

Lecturer in Volcanology

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tcwilkes1@sheffield.ac.uk
Geography and Planning Building

Full contact details

Dr Thomas Wilkes
School of Geography and Planning
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
Profile

Thomas graduated in Environmental Geoscience (MSci) from The University of Bristol in 2014, before carrying out a research placement in volcanology at Colima de Intercambio en Investigación en Vulcanología, Mexico. He joined The University of Sheffield in 2015, where he completed a PhD on the development of low-cost remote sensing instruments for application in volcano monitoring. He subsequently completed post-doctoral research and a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at Sheffield, focussing on wider dissemination of permanent SO2 cameras and their use in volcanology.

In 2023 he became a Lecturer in Volcanology at the University. His research interests span volcanology, remote sensing, and the use of machine learning within these fields. He has led the development of a software library, , for SO2 camera control and data processing, which is used by a number of researchers and monitoring organisations around the world.

Research interests

I began my academic career as a geoscientist but through my PhD I have developed further skills and interests in software engineering (predominantly in Python), instrument design and optical design. My work therefore spans a broad range of fields, with the overarching focus on using remote sensing techniques to improve our understanding of volcanic activity. 

Publications

Journal articles

  • McCormick Kilbride BT, Nicholson EJ, Wood KT, Wilkes TC, Schipper CI, Mulina K, Itikarai I, Richardson T, Werner C, Hayer CSL , Esse B et al (2023) . Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 24(6).
  • Layana S, Aguilera F, Inostroza M, Tassi F, Wilkes TC, Bredemeyer S, González C, Pering TD & McGonigle AJS (2023) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 11.
  • Wilkes TC, Pering TD, Aguilera F, Layana S, Nadeau P, Kern C, McGonigle AJS, Aguilera M & Zhu C (2023) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 11.
  • Wilkes TC, Pering TD & McGonigle AJS (2022) . Computers & Geosciences, 168.
  • Mason E, Wieser PE, Liu EJ, Edmonds M, Ilyinskaya E, Whitty RCW, Mather TA, Elias T, Nadeau PA, Wilkes TC , McGonigle AJS et al (2021) . Communications Earth & Environment, 2.
  • Ilanko T, Pering TD, Wilkes TC, Woitischek J, D’Aleo R, Aiuppa A, McGonigle AJS, Edmonds M & Garaebiti E (2020) . Remote Sensing, 12(17).
  • Pering TD, Liu EJ, Wood K, Wilkes TC, Aiuppa A, Tamburello G, Bitetto M, Richardson T & McGonigle AJS (2020) . Nature Communications, 11(1).
  • Ilanko T, Pering T, Wilkes T, Woitischek J, D'Aleo R, Aiuppa A, McGonigle A, Edmonds M & Garaebiti E (2020) .
  • Ilanko T, Pering T, Wilkes T, Apaza Choquehuayta F, Kern C, Díaz Moreno A, De Angelis S, Layana S, Rojas F, Aguilera F , Vasconez F et al (2019) . Volcanica, 2(2), 239-252.
  • Wilkes TC, Pering TD, McGonigle AJS, Willmott JR, Bryant R, Smalley AL, Mims FM, Parisi AV & England RA (2019) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 7.
  • Mims III MF, McGonigle AJS, Wilkes TC, Parisi AV, Grant WB, Cook JM & Pering TD (2019) . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(6).
  • Pering TD, Ilanko T, Wilkes TC, England RA, Silcock SR, Stanger LR, Willmott JR, Bryant RG & McGonigle AJS (2019) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 6.
  • Liu EJ, Wood K, Mason E, Edmonds M, Aiuppa A, Giudice G, Bitetto M, Francofonte V, Burrow S, Richardson T , Watson M et al (2019) . Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 20(2), 730-750.
  • Stanger LR, Wilkes T, Boone N, McGonigle A & Willmott J (2018) . Sensors, 18(7), 2169-2169.
  • Wilkes TC, Stanger LR, Willmott JR, Pering TD, McGonigle AJS & England RA (2018) . Remote Sensing, 10(3).
  • McGonigle AJS, Wilkes TC, Pering TD, Willmott JR, Cook JM, Mims FM & Parisi AV (2018) . Sensors, 18(1).
  • Wilkes TC, McGonigle AJS, Willmott JR, Pering TD & Cook JM (2017) . Optics Letters, 42(21), 4323-4326.
  • McGonigle AJS, Pering TD, Wilkes TC, Tamburello G, D Aleo R, Bitetto M, Aiuppa A & Willmott JR (2017) . Geosciences, 7(3).
  • Pering TD, McGonigle AJS, Tamburello G, Aiuppa A, Bitetto M, Rubino C & Wilkes TC (2017) . Remote Sensing, 9(2).
  • Wilkes TC, McGonigle AJS, Pering TD, Taggart AJ, White BS, Bryant RG & Willmott JR (2016) . Sensors, 16(10).
  • Mason E, Wieser PE, Liu EJ, Edmonds M, Ilyinskaya E, Whitty RCW, Mather TA, Elias T, Nadeau PA, Wilkes TC , McGonigle AJS et al () . Communications Earth & Environment, 2(1).
  • Pering TD, Liu EJ, Wood K, Wilkes TC, Aiuppa A, Tamburello G, Bitetto M, Richardson T & McGonigle AJS () . Nature Communications, 11(1).
  • Aguilera F, Layana S, Rojas F, Arratia P, Wilkes TC, González C, Inostroza M, McGonigle AJS, Pering TD & Ureta G () . Remote Sensing, 12(13), 2122.
  • Pering TD, McGonigle AJS, Tamburello G, Aiuppa A, Bitetto M, Rubino C & Wilkes TC () . Remote Sensing, 9(10), 1040.
  • Wilkes T, Pering T, McGonigle A, Tamburello G & Willmott J () . Remote Sensing, 9(1).

Other

  • Pering T, Wilkes T, Nadeau P, Hidalgo S, Aguilera F, Layana S, Aisyah N, Humaida H, Sakti A & Kern C (2025) .
  • Wilkes TC, Hidalgo S, Battaglia J, Pering TD, Almeida M, Vásconez F, Macías C & García D (2025) .

Preprints

  • McCormick Kilbride B, Liu EJ, Wood KT, Wilkes TC, Schipper CI, Mulina K, Itikarai I, Richardson TS, Werner C, Hayer CSL , Esse B et al (2022) , Wiley.
Teaching activities

I have taught on a range of modules during my time at Sheffield. As a graduate teaching assistant I acquired experience marking and providing lab- and desk-based teaching assistance, as well as fieldwork assistance. Now, as an active member of the department’s teaching team, I am involved in course delivery and content design.

Current modules:

GEO3004 - Applied Volcanology

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