Prof. Bramley J. Murton, BSc, PhD. I am a geologist at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton where I study mid-ocean ridges, submarine volcanism, hydrothermal systems and seafloor mineralisation. I started my career as a geology student at Edinburgh University, and then studied the Southern Troodos Transform Fault and Western Limassol Forest Complex for my PhD, under the supervision of Prof. Ian G. Gass FRS at the Open University. In 1990 I became a marine geologist and moved to NOC in 1997. I currently lead the UK research effort on seafloor mineralisation and resources, develop new technologies and approaches to deep-sea exploration, and advise policy makers on minimising the impact of future seafloor mineral exploitation.