David Favis-Mortlock


David T. Favis-Mortlock is an English geomorphologist and musician.
Born David Mortlock on 27 August 1953, he grew up in Barking, Essex, UK, later moving to Basildon New Town, where he attended Barstable School. He studied environmental sciences at Lancaster University, graduating in 1975. After several years as a musician, he commenced a PhD study on soil erosion modeling at Brighton Polytechnic, under the supervision of geomorphologist John Boardman. Subsequently, he worked with Boardman at the University of Oxford's .
Publications include the first quantitative study of the impact of climate change on soil erosion by water, and a novel modelling study of soil erosion in prehistory together with archaeologist Martin Bell. In 1996 he began work on a self-organising systems model for rill initiation and development, . He is also responsible for the Soil Erosion website. Favis-Mortlock was elected a Council Member for the , 2001–2003, and a member of the Executive Committee of the British Geomorphological Research Group, 2003-2006. Until 2010 he was a lecturer at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland. He has now returned to the .
He is married to fellow musician and painter ; they live near Crickadarn, Powys. His stepson Reuben Beau Davies is an actor.

Music

Favis-Mortlock is also a musician; in 1978 he formed a Banbury-based folk group named after the nearby Rollright Stones, together with Adderbury morris dancer Bryan Sheppard. At one stage, the Rollrights included fellow fiddler Chris Leslie on bass guitar. The group supported Fairport Convention and recorded with Fairport's Dave Pegg. Subsequently, Favis-Mortlock played fiddle with guitarist Frank Underwood, and with the Brighton-based folk-punk band Tricks Upon Travellers. He now plays jazz violin, most recently with .

Publications

He has published, as of 2012, 30 peer-reviewed articles in professional journals. The most cited have been:
26 papers of his have been cited 26 times or more.
He has also co-edited the book: Modelling Soil Erosion by Water.