Teresa Ubide Garralda

I am a volcano scientist with a passion for understanding magma storage and transport through the Earth's upper mantle and crust. I develop high-resolution geochemical techniques to interrogate magmatic crystals and their carrier melts, providing a better understanding of past eruptions as keys to future activity. My team's research constrains the drivers of volcanic eruptions and the processes leading to the accumulation of metals that are critical for the green energy transition.

I joined UQ in July 2016, after holding a postdoctoral fellowship at Trinity College Dublin. I undertook my postgraduate research in Spain and The Netherlands (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and received my PhD from the University of Zaragoza in December 2013. I was born and raised by the sea, in San Sebastián, and I am fortunate to study a wide range of active and past volcanic systems in different tectonic settings around the world.

Primary Research Interests:

Magmas, volcanoes, critical minerals, high-resolution geochemistry, elemental mapping, in situ isotope analysis

Fellowships and Awards:

2026 Distinguished Fellow of the Geological Society of Australia

2025 Wager Medal. International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior

2024-28 ARC Future Fellow. Australian Research Council

2023 Anton Hales Medal. Australian Academy of Science

2020-22 UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award. The University of Queensland

2019-21 Superstar of STEM. Science and Technology Australia

2018 Queensland Tall Poppy Award. Australian Institute of Policy and Science

2018 Best Lecturer of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The University of Queensland

2018 Three-minute rapid fire presentations, First Place – Early Career Geoscientist Division. CSIRO AGCC Convention 2018 Australia

2017 Fresh Science, People's Choice. Science In Public Australia

2016 180 Seconds of Science, Australian People's Choice. Australian Academy of Science EMCR Forum