![Duncan Muir BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/1743?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Duncan Muir
(he/him)
BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Duncan Muir
Senior Electron Microbeam Specialist
Overview
I run the Earth Sciences Electron Microbeam Facility, assisting users with their scanning electron microscope (SEM) related imaging and chemical analysis. I also use electron microscopy for my own research investigating magma system processes of subduction zone volcanoes.
Our Electron Microbeam Facility provides a service to the Earth and Environmental Sciences School in addition to all other Cardiff University departments. We also welcome users from outside the University, both academic and commercial.
Interests
- Electron microscopy
- In-situ chemical analysis of minerals and glasses
- Nano- and micrometre scale imaging
- Igneous petrology
- Experimental petrology
- Volcanology
Publication
2025
- Gleeson, M. et al. 2025. Persistent high-pressure magma storage beneath a near-ridge ocean island volcano (Isla Floreana, Galápagos). Journal of Petrology 66 (5) egaf031. (10.1093/petrology/egaf031)
- Maier, W. D. et al. 2025. Petrogenesis of Ni-sulfide mineralisation in the ca. 3.0 Ga Maniitsoq intrusive belt, western Greenland. Mineralium Deposita 60 (2-3), pp.479-501. (10.1007/s00126-024-01282-3)
- Mills, K. et al. 2025. Crystallographic and geochemical responses of giant clams on turbid reefs. Scientific Reports 15 (1) 7365. (10.1038/s41598-025-90614-y)
- Smith, W. D. et al. 2025. Role of chamber replenishment in the formation of the Merensky Reef and its footwall anorthosite. Journal of Petrology 66 (3) egaf015. (10.1093/petrology/egaf015)
2024
- Al Bahri, J. et al. 2024. Clay mineral geochemistry and paleoenvironmental reconstruction across the Cryogenian Sturtian Snowball glaciation. Precambrian Research 410 107498. (10.1016/j.precamres.2024.107498)
- De Caroli, S. et al. 2024. Deformation microstructures of low- and high-strain epidote-blueschist (Ryukyu arc, Japan): Implications for subduction interface rheology. Journal of Structural Geology 180 105041. (10.1016/j.jsg.2023.105041)
- Kasper-Zubillaga, J. J. et al., 2024. Physico-chemical alteration of pyroxene in coastal environments: Empirical constraints from New Zealand and the Azores. Sedimentary Geology 465 106632. (10.1016/j.sedgeo.2024.106632)
- Mills, K. et al. 2024. Microstructure and crystallographic texture data in modern giant clam shells (Tridacna squamosa and Hippopus hippopus). Data in Brief 52 109947. (10.1016/j.dib.2023.109947)
2023
- Hastie, A. R. et al., 2023. Deep formation of Earth's earliest continental crust consistent with subduction. Nature Geoscience 16 , pp.816-821. (10.1038/s41561-023-01249-5)
- Mills, K. et al. 2023. Growth responses of mixotrophic giant clams on nearshore turbid coral reefs. Coral Reefs 42 , pp.593-608. (10.1007/s00338-023-02366-8)
- Smith, W. D. et al. 2023. New perspectives on the formation of the Boulder Bed of the western Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Mineralium Deposita 58 (3), pp.617-638. (10.1007/s00126-022-01150-y)
2022
- Smith, W. D. et al. 2022. Accessory phase perspectives for ore-forming processes and magmatic sulphide exploration in the Labrador Trough, northern Québec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 59 (5), pp.259-277. (10.1139/cjes-2021-0109)
2021
- Maier, W. D. et al. 2021. Formation of Bushveld anorthosite by reactive porous flow. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 176 (1) 3. (10.1007/s00410-020-01760-7)
2020
- Hammond, G. M. et al. 2020. The microanatomy of Bowman’s layer in the cornea of the pig: changes in collagen fibril architecture at the corneoscleral limbus. European Journal of Anatomy 24 (5), pp.399-406.
- Wymant, J. M. et al., 2020. Strategic trastuzumab mediated crosslinking driving concomitant HER2 and HER3 endocytosis and degradation in breast cancer. Journal of Cancer 11 (11), pp.3288-3302. (10.7150/jca.32470)
2019
- Pullin, H. et al. 2019. Atmospheric carbon capture performance of legacy iron and steel waste. Environmental Science and Technology 53 (16), pp.9502-9511. (10.1021/acs.est.9b01265)
- Tanner, D. et al. 2019. A record of assimilation preserved by exotic minerals in the lowermost platinum-group element deposit of the Bushveld Complex: The Volspruit Sulphide Zone. Lithos 324-32 , pp.584-608. (10.1016/j.lithos.2018.10.032)
2018
- Ledwoch, K. et al. 2018. Beware Biofilm! Dry biofilms containing bacterial pathogens on multiple healthcare surfaces; a multicentre study. Journal of Hospital Infection 100 (3), pp.e47-e56. (10.1016/j.jhin.2018.06.028)
- Pritchard, M. et al., 2018. Synthesis: PLUTONS: Investigating the relationship between pluton growth and volcanism in the Central Andes. Geosphere 14 (3), pp.954-982. (10.1130/GES01578.1)
2017
- Laumonier, M. et al., 2017. Giant magmatic water reservoirs at mid-crustal depth inferred from electrical conductivity and the growth of the continental crust. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 457 , pp.173-180. (10.1016/j.epsl.2016.10.023)
- McDonald, I. et al. 2017. Homogenisation of sulphide inclusions within diamonds: A new approach to diamond inclusion geochemistry. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 216 , pp.335-357. (10.1016/j.gca.2017.04.039)
2016
- Cassidy, M. et al., 2016. Volatile dilution during magma injections and implications for volcano explosivity. Geology 44 (12), pp.1027-1030. (10.1130/G38411.1)
2015
- Muir, D. et al. 2015. The temporal record of magmatism at Cerro Uturuncu, Bolivian Altiplano. Geological Society Special Publication 422 (1), pp.57-83. (10.1144/SP422.1)
2014
- Muir, D. et al. 2014. Petrological imaging of an active pluton beneath Cerro Uturuncu, Bolivia. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 167 (3) 980. (10.1007/s00410-014-0980-z)
- Muir, D. et al. 2014. Experimental constraints on dacite pre-eruptive magma storage conditions beneath uturuncu volcano. Journal of Petrology 55 (4), pp.749-767. (10.1093/petrology/egu005)
2012
- Muir, D. , Blundy, J. and Rust, A. 2012. Multiphase petrography of volcanic rocks using element maps: a method applied to Mount St. Helens, 1980-2005. Bulletin of Volcanology 74 (5), pp.1101-1120. (10.1007/s00445-012-0586-0)
2011
- Melnik, O. E. et al., 2011. Subvolcanic plumbing systems imaged through crystal size distributions. Geology 39 (4), pp.403-406. (10.1130/G31691.1)
Articles
- Al Bahri, J. et al. 2024. Clay mineral geochemistry and paleoenvironmental reconstruction across the Cryogenian Sturtian Snowball glaciation. Precambrian Research 410 107498. (10.1016/j.precamres.2024.107498)
- Cassidy, M. et al., 2016. Volatile dilution during magma injections and implications for volcano explosivity. Geology 44 (12), pp.1027-1030. (10.1130/G38411.1)
- De Caroli, S. et al. 2024. Deformation microstructures of low- and high-strain epidote-blueschist (Ryukyu arc, Japan): Implications for subduction interface rheology. Journal of Structural Geology 180 105041. (10.1016/j.jsg.2023.105041)
- Gleeson, M. et al. 2025. Persistent high-pressure magma storage beneath a near-ridge ocean island volcano (Isla Floreana, Galápagos). Journal of Petrology 66 (5) egaf031. (10.1093/petrology/egaf031)
- Hammond, G. M. et al. 2020. The microanatomy of Bowman’s layer in the cornea of the pig: changes in collagen fibril architecture at the corneoscleral limbus. European Journal of Anatomy 24 (5), pp.399-406.
- Hastie, A. R. et al., 2023. Deep formation of Earth's earliest continental crust consistent with subduction. Nature Geoscience 16 , pp.816-821. (10.1038/s41561-023-01249-5)
- Kasper-Zubillaga, J. J. et al., 2024. Physico-chemical alteration of pyroxene in coastal environments: Empirical constraints from New Zealand and the Azores. Sedimentary Geology 465 106632. (10.1016/j.sedgeo.2024.106632)
- Laumonier, M. et al., 2017. Giant magmatic water reservoirs at mid-crustal depth inferred from electrical conductivity and the growth of the continental crust. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 457 , pp.173-180. (10.1016/j.epsl.2016.10.023)
- Ledwoch, K. et al. 2018. Beware Biofilm! Dry biofilms containing bacterial pathogens on multiple healthcare surfaces; a multicentre study. Journal of Hospital Infection 100 (3), pp.e47-e56. (10.1016/j.jhin.2018.06.028)
- Maier, W. D. et al. 2021. Formation of Bushveld anorthosite by reactive porous flow. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 176 (1) 3. (10.1007/s00410-020-01760-7)
- Maier, W. D. et al. 2025. Petrogenesis of Ni-sulfide mineralisation in the ca. 3.0 Ga Maniitsoq intrusive belt, western Greenland. Mineralium Deposita 60 (2-3), pp.479-501. (10.1007/s00126-024-01282-3)
- McDonald, I. et al. 2017. Homogenisation of sulphide inclusions within diamonds: A new approach to diamond inclusion geochemistry. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 216 , pp.335-357. (10.1016/j.gca.2017.04.039)
- Melnik, O. E. et al., 2011. Subvolcanic plumbing systems imaged through crystal size distributions. Geology 39 (4), pp.403-406. (10.1130/G31691.1)
- Mills, K. et al. 2023. Growth responses of mixotrophic giant clams on nearshore turbid coral reefs. Coral Reefs 42 , pp.593-608. (10.1007/s00338-023-02366-8)
- Mills, K. et al. 2024. Microstructure and crystallographic texture data in modern giant clam shells (Tridacna squamosa and Hippopus hippopus). Data in Brief 52 109947. (10.1016/j.dib.2023.109947)
- Mills, K. et al. 2025. Crystallographic and geochemical responses of giant clams on turbid reefs. Scientific Reports 15 (1) 7365. (10.1038/s41598-025-90614-y)
- Muir, D. et al. 2015. The temporal record of magmatism at Cerro Uturuncu, Bolivian Altiplano. Geological Society Special Publication 422 (1), pp.57-83. (10.1144/SP422.1)
- Muir, D. , Blundy, J. and Rust, A. 2012. Multiphase petrography of volcanic rocks using element maps: a method applied to Mount St. Helens, 1980-2005. Bulletin of Volcanology 74 (5), pp.1101-1120. (10.1007/s00445-012-0586-0)
- Muir, D. et al. 2014. Petrological imaging of an active pluton beneath Cerro Uturuncu, Bolivia. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 167 (3) 980. (10.1007/s00410-014-0980-z)
- Muir, D. et al. 2014. Experimental constraints on dacite pre-eruptive magma storage conditions beneath uturuncu volcano. Journal of Petrology 55 (4), pp.749-767. (10.1093/petrology/egu005)
- Pritchard, M. et al., 2018. Synthesis: PLUTONS: Investigating the relationship between pluton growth and volcanism in the Central Andes. Geosphere 14 (3), pp.954-982. (10.1130/GES01578.1)
- Pullin, H. et al. 2019. Atmospheric carbon capture performance of legacy iron and steel waste. Environmental Science and Technology 53 (16), pp.9502-9511. (10.1021/acs.est.9b01265)
- Smith, W. D. et al. 2023. New perspectives on the formation of the Boulder Bed of the western Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Mineralium Deposita 58 (3), pp.617-638. (10.1007/s00126-022-01150-y)
- Smith, W. D. et al. 2025. Role of chamber replenishment in the formation of the Merensky Reef and its footwall anorthosite. Journal of Petrology 66 (3) egaf015. (10.1093/petrology/egaf015)
- Smith, W. D. et al. 2022. Accessory phase perspectives for ore-forming processes and magmatic sulphide exploration in the Labrador Trough, northern Québec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 59 (5), pp.259-277. (10.1139/cjes-2021-0109)
- Tanner, D. et al. 2019. A record of assimilation preserved by exotic minerals in the lowermost platinum-group element deposit of the Bushveld Complex: The Volspruit Sulphide Zone. Lithos 324-32 , pp.584-608. (10.1016/j.lithos.2018.10.032)
- Wymant, J. M. et al., 2020. Strategic trastuzumab mediated crosslinking driving concomitant HER2 and HER3 endocytosis and degradation in breast cancer. Journal of Cancer 11 (11), pp.3288-3302. (10.7150/jca.32470)
Research
Using electron microscopy, I investigate magma system processes beneath arc volcanoes. Through imaging and chemical analysis of volcanic and plutonic rocks and their constituent minerals and glasses, I aim to understand how magmas evolve in the crust, the pressures and temperatures at which they are stored, and implications for eruptive processes. I have worked on a wide range of volcanic systems from the Cascades, the Andes and the Sumatran arc.
Where possible, I employ experimental petrology to replicate magma storage conditions in the crust and to relate these experimental findings to natural rocks. I am also interested in using electron backscatter diffraction to investigate deformation processes in igneous rocks to try to better understand crystallisation histories.
By assisting less experienced electron microscopy users with their research, I have been involved with a range of projects. In Earth Sciences, these include investigations of metalliferous miinerals in ore deposits, potential for carbon capture and storage in coal tips, and the formation of the continental crust in Early Earth. I have co-supervised a PhD project focusing on crystal growth in giant clams in response to changing climate using EBSD.
Teaching
I teach undergraduate fieldwork skills in various locations including Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Cyprus.
Biography
Education and qualifications
- 2013: PhD (Earth Sciences) University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- 2008: MSc (Earth Sciences) University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- 2004: BSc (Earh Sciences) University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Career overview
- 2015 - present: Senior electron microbeam specialist, Cardiff University, UK
- 2006 - 2009: Engineering Geology and Geotechnical staff, Fugro Geoconsulting Ltd., Oxford, UK
- 2005 - 2006: Exploration Geologist, Almaden Minerals Ltd., Vancouver, Canada
Professional memberships
- Member of the Royal Microscopy Society
Academic positions
- 2013 - 2015: Postdoctoral researcher, Uppsala University, Sweden
Committees and reviewing
- Member of the Physical Sciences and Engineering Committee, Royal Microscopy Society
Impact
- Careers and role model panel, Grangetown Community Gateway, Cardiff (June 2020)