Professor Nick Rosser, BSc (Hons) 1st Class (Dunelm), PhD (Dunelm)

Contact Professor Nick Rosser (email at n.j.rosser@durham.ac.uk)

Research interests

My primary research is focused upon the recognition of the role of material deformation characteristics in controlling the spatial and temporal nature of rockfalls and landslides. Using data collected both in the laboratory and in the field, I am interested in exploring theoretical models which underpin recent developments in the understanding the mechanics of slope failure. My research is most often end-user focussed, with an emphasis on risk management which broadly considers when, why, where and how landslides occur. My recent research has focussed in two areas: earthquake-triggered landsliding; and, the development and use of 3D time-series terrestrial imaging techniques to monitor slope failure at unprecedented levels of spatial and temporal detail.

I am currently PI on series of projects that enable my research group to pursue these interests. For example, I lead the long term Coastal Behaviour and Rates of Activity (COBRA) research collaboration that runs in partnership with ICL Fertilizers (UK) Ltd, conducting fundamental research on rock slope failure, coastal evolution and deep mining in North Yorkshire, UK. I also lead a project focussed around providing a rolling assessment of the evolution of landslide risk in the area impacted by the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, working with DFID-Nepal and the National Society for Earthquake Technology (Kathmandu). 

Research video

A short video (2014) summarising some of my research is available on Youtube.

Research Groups

Department of Geography

• Hazards and Surface Change
• Institute of Hazard, Risk & Resilience (IHRR)

Research Projects

Department of Geography

• Coastal Behaviour and Rates of Activity (COBRA)
• Monitoring Programme for the Whitby TV Mast Site

Research Interests

• Landslide hazard and risk
• Rock slope failure
• 3D terrestrial monitoring
• Rock coast evolution

Selected Publications

Journal Article

• Rosser, NJ, Kincey, ME, Oven, KJ, Densmore, AL, Robinson, TR, Pujara, DS, Shrestha, R, Smutny, J, Gurung, K, Lama, S & Dhital, MR (2021). Changing Significance of Landslide Hazard and Risk After The 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal Earthquake. Progress in Disaster Science
• Kincey, Mark E., Rosser, Nick J., Robinson, Tom R., Densmore, Alexander L., Shrestha, Ram, Pujara, Dammar Singh, Oven, Katie J., Williams, Jack G. & Swirad, Zuzanna M. (2021). Evolution of coseismic and post‐seismic landsliding after the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 126(3): e2020JF005803.
• Swirad, Z.M., Rosser, N.J., Brain, M.J., Rood, D.H., Hurst, M.D., Wilcken, K.M. & Barlow, J. (2020). Cosmogenic exposure dating reveals limited long-term variability in erosion of a rocky coastline. Nature Communications 11: 3804.
• Benjamin, J., Rosser, N.J. & Brain, M.J. (2020). Emergent characteristics of rockfall inventories captured at a regional scale. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 45(12): 2773-2787.
• Williams, J.G., Rosser, N.J., Hardy, R.J. & Brain, M.J. (2020). The Importance of Monitoring Interval for Rockfall Magnitude-Frequency Estimation. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 124(12): 2841-2853.
• de Vilder, S.J., Brain, M.J. & Rosser, N.J. (2019). Controls on the geotechnical response of sedimentary rocks to weathering. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 44(10): 1910-1929.
• Swirad, Z.M., Rosser, N.J. & Brain, M.J. (2019). Identifying mechanisms of shore platform erosion using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 44(8): 1542-1558.
• Milledge, D.G., Densmore, A.L., Bellugi, D., Rosser, N.J., Watt, J., Li, G. & Oven, K.J. (2019). Simple rules to minimise exposure to coseismic landslide hazard. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 19(4): 837-856.
• Robinson, TR, Rosser, NJ & Walters, RJ (2019). The spatial and temporal influence of cloud cover on satellite-based emergency mapping of earthquake disasters. Scientific Reports 9: 12455
• Vann Jones, E.C., Rosser, N.J. & Brain, M.J. (2018). Alongshore variability in wave energy transfer to coastal cliffs. Geomorphology 322: 1-14.
• Robinson, T.R., Rosser, N.J., Davies, T.R.H., Wilson, T.M. & Orchiston, C. (2018). Near-real-time modelling of landslide impacts to inform rapid response: an example from the 2016 Kaikoura, New Zealand, earthquake. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 108(3B): 1665-1682.
• Williams, J. G., Rosser, N. J., Hardy, R. J., Brain, M. J. & Afana, A. A. (2018). Optimising 4-D surface change detection: an approach for capturing rockfall magnitude–frequency. Earth Surface Dynamics 6(1): 101-119.
• Williams, J.G., Rosser, N.J., Kincey, M.E., Benjamin, J., Oven, K.J., Densmore, A.L., Milledge, D.G., Robinson, T.R., Jordan, C.A. & Dijkstra, T.A. (2018). Satellite-based emergency mapping using optical imagery: experience and reflections from the 2015 Nepal earthquakes. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 18: 185-205.
• Benjamin, J., Rosser, N.J., Dunning, S.A., Hardy, R.J., Kelfoun, K. & Szczuciński, W. (2018). Transferability of a calibrated numerical model of rock avalanche run-out: application to 20 rock avalanches on the Nuussuaq Peninsula, West Greenland. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 43(15): 3057-3073.
• Robinson, T.R., Rosser, N.J., Densmore, A.L., Oven, K.J., Shrestha, S.N. & Guragain, R. (2018). Use of scenario ensembles for deriving seismic risk. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115(41): E9532–E9541.

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Supervises

• Gopi K. Basyal
• Miss Samprada Pradhan
• Mr Ian Pawlby
• Miss Ruusa-magano David
• Mr Ignacio Ibarra
• Miss Sophie Kenmare
• Miss Niamh King
• Mr Tom Lees

Selected Grants