Short bio:

Dr Phil Heron is an Assistant Professor in Environmental Geophysics at the University of Toronto (Scarborough Campus). After receiving his PhD in Geophysics in 2014 and working as a post-doctoral researcher in Toronto (2014-2016), he moved to Durham University (UK) as a Marie Skłodowska Curie Research Fellow (2017-2020). During the pandemic, he switched careers to work as an Operational Researcher for the UK Government, before returning to academia as faculty in Toronto in 2021. He has published on supercontinent formation, mantle lithosphere deformation, and volcano-tectonic earthquakes patterns, as well as in the field of science communication. Phil also runs an outreach program called Think Like A Scientist, which works predominately in improving access to education for marginalised groups, including people in English and Canadian prisons. 

More info:

Some academic highlights include the 2016 Nature Communications paper on mantle scars received worldwide attention (50+ news outlets), while the co-authored paper on ‘The Misuse of Colour in Science Communication’ was one of the most read articles of 2020.

Phil’s ability to communicate research has been endorsed by the Geological Society of London (who invited him to give a public lecture in 2018) and by Cambridge University (who invited him to give a guest lecturer in a postgraduate course on ‘Effective Science Communication’ in 2021), while his teaching has received a University of Toronto Award in 2025.

Dr. Heron has also been teaching and mentoring students in either an academic or professional capacity since 2007. In 2017, he created a specialist science program (Think Like A Scientist) which is designed to improve critical thinking and encourage independent thought in restrictive classroom settings (such as in prison). Think Like A Scientist has gained a number of plaudits, including being showcased in UK Parliament as an example of teaching excellence, winning two outreach grants (EGU and BGA), as well as being featured in the national and local press (in print and on radio in England and Canada). Think Like. A Scientist has featured in Australia (2023-2025) and Spain (2025), and is currently running in Canada and England.

As well as working in academia, Phil has also worked as a: Geophysics Consultant, market researcher, documentarian, Government analyst, greengrocer, and English teacher (amongst others).

Get in touch:

Get in touch using the form below (or philip.heron @utoronto.ca or linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philheron/):

linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philheron/

webpage: www.philheron.com

Medium (writing): https://medium.com/@philipheron

The Conversation (writing): Phil Heron’s page

Public talks:

Some Photos:

Student feedback:

“Phil is an amazing instructor who makes learning a fun experience, he explains things in a way you can understand and leaves you wanting to expand your knowledge”

“Phil brought the right balance of seriousness and ‘attempted’ humour”