Hello! You’ve arrived at the personal blog of Ailsa Naismith. I am a volcanologist currently working at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) in – you guessed it – Singapore. I currently work in quantitative volcanic hazard assessment of volcanoes in Indonesia, although my research interests range from remote sensing to qualitative interviews to creative practice in remembering volcanic disaster. Before coming to Southeast Asia, I worked in Latin America. You’ll find a lot of material about my time on that continent, particularly on the volcanoes, people, and culture of Guatemala, where I worked for seven years.

Volcanoes are magic – that’s why I write so much about them! I also post thoughts on academia, art, Guatemala, culture, travel, and the ups and downs of postdoc life. This blog is a space to develop my non-academic writing voice, to test out tentative ideas, and to gather disparate threads of work, live, and research. I hope you find things to interest you.

I post only occasionally, but I enjoy connecting with people about any of the subjects on this site. Do get in touch if you wish – I welcome your correspondence.