School of Earth and Environment
Untitled Document

Bill Murphy Dr Bill Murphy

Senior Lecturer in Engineering Geology

Telephone number: +44(0) 113 34 35232
Email address: w.murphy@leeds.ac.uk
Room: 10.18f

Link to personal page

Biography

Bill Murphy is an engineering geologist with close to 20 years of experience of research, teaching and consulting in the broad geotechnical field. His expertise is landslides and slope stability, with a specific interest in how the ground performs during earthquakes. Recently he is developing interests in modelling landslide systems with respect to establishing resilient ground engineering for changing climate systems. Field areas include New Zealand, Califronia, Italy and the UK amongst others. In addition to his research activities Bill has been a consultant to Arup; Halcrow; SRK and URS/Scott Wilson amongst others.

Bill Murphy is the program leader for the MSc Engineering Geology. He holds a BSc from the University of Strathclyde and a PhD from University College London. Dr Murphy is a Fellow of the Geological Society and a member of the Society of Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics. He is currently a member of the Geotechnique Advisory Panel and sits on the Editorial Board for "Engineering Geology".

Research Interests

  • Engineering geology

  • Landslides

  • Earthquakes

Academic CV (pdf file)

Publications

  • Stavrou, A; Lawrence, JA; Mortimore, RN; Murphy, W (2011) A geotechnical and GIS based method for evaluating risk exposition along coastal cliff environments: a case study of the chalk cliffs of southern England , NATURAL HAZARDS AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES, 11, pp.2997-3011. doi:10.5194/nhess-11-2997-2011
  • Quinn, JD; Rosser, NJ; Murphy, W; Lawrence, JA (2010) Identifying the behavioural characteristics of clay cliffs using intensive monitoring and geotechnical numerical modelling, GEOMORPHOLOGY, 120, pp.107-122. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.03.004
  • Quinn, JD; Philip, LK; Murphy, W (2009) Understanding the recession of the Holderness Coast, east Yorkshire, UK: a new presentation of temporal and spatial patterns, Q J ENG GEOL HYDROGE, 42, pp.165-178. doi:10.1144/1470-9236/08-032
  • Murphy, W (2006) The role of topographic amplification on the initiation of rock slopes failures during earthquakes, In: Evans, SG; Mugnozza, GS; Strom, A; Hermanns, RL (Ed) 49, pp.139-154.
  • Bulmer, MH; Petley, DN; Murphy, W; Mantovani, F (2006) Detecting slope deformation using two-pass differential interferometry: Implications for landslide studies on Earth and other planetary bodies, J GEOPHYS RES-PLANET, 111, . doi:10.1029/2005JE002593
  • Sepulveda, SA; Murphy, W; Jibson, RW; Petley, DN (2005) Seismically induced rock slope failures resulting from topographic amplification of strong ground motions: The case of Pacoima Canyon California, ENG GEOL, 80, pp.336-348. doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2005.07.004
  • Sepulveda, SA; Murphy, W; Petley, DN (2005) Topographic controls on coseismic rock slides during the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, Taiwan, Q J ENG GEOL HYDROGE, 38, pp.189-196.
  • Whitworth, MCZ; Giles, DP; Murphy, W (2005) Airborne remote sensing for landslide hazard assessment: a case study on the Jurassic escarpment slopes of Worcestershire, UK, Q J ENG GEOL HYDROGE, 38, pp.285-300.
  • Murphy, W; Mankelow, JM (2004) Obtaining probabilistic estimates of displacement on a landslide during future earthquakes, J EARTHQ ENG, 8, pp.133-157.
  • Rolo, R; Bommer, JJ; Houghton, BF; Vallance, J; Berdousis, P; Mavrommati, C; Murphy, W (2004) Geologic and engineering characterization of Tierra Blanca pyroclastic ash deposits, In: Rose; I, W; Bommer; J, J; López; L, D; Carr; J, M; Major; J, J (Ed) Natural hazards in El Salvador, Geological Society of America Special Paper , 375, Boulder, Colorado: Geological Society of America, pp.55-67.
  • Sepulveda, S; Murphy, W; Petley, DN (2004) The role of topographic amplification on the generation of earthquake-induced rock slope failures, In: Lacerda; A, W; Ehrlich; M; Fontoura; B, SA; Sayao; F, S (Ed) Landslides: evalution and stabilization, 1, A.A. Balkema, pp.311-315.
  • Wilson, AJ; Petley, DN; Murphy, W (2003) Down-slope variation in geotechnical parameters and pore fluid control on a large-scale Alpine landslide, GEOMORPHOLOGY, 54, pp.49-62. doi:10.1016/S0169-555X(03)00055-2
  • Bulmer, MH; Mantovani, F; Murphy, W; Petley, DN (2002) SAR interferometry in landslide monitoring: experiences from Black Ven Landslide, Dorset 2001, In: Delahaye; D; Levoy; F; Maquaire; O (Ed) Geomorphology: from expert opinion to modelling, Geomorphology: from expert opinion to modelling, pp.21-28.
  • Petley, DN; Bulmer, MH; Murphy, W (2002) Patterns of movement in rotational and translational landslides, GEOLOGY, 30, pp.719-722.
  • Murphy, W; Petley, DN; Bommer, J; Mankelow, JM (2002) Uncertainty in ground motion estimates for the evaluation of slope stability during earthquakes, Q J ENG GEOL HYDROGE, 35, pp.71-78.
  • Bommer, JJ; Benito, MB; Ciudad-Real, M; Lemoine, A; Lopez-Menjivar, MA; Madariaga, R; Mankelow, J; de Hasbun, PM; Murphy, W; Nieto-Lovo, M; Rodriguez-Pineda, CE; Rosa, H (2002) The El Salvador earthquakes of January and February 2001: context, characteristics and implications for seismic risk, SOIL DYN EARTHQ ENG, 22, pp.389-418.
  • Mankelow, JM; Murphy, W (1998) Using GIS in the probabilistic assessment of earthquake-triggered landslide hazards, Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 2, pp.593-623.
  • Murphy, W (1997) Sensitivity of palaeoseismological estimates derived from landslides to variations in geotechnical and geological inputs, Geological Society of China. Journal, 40, pp.185-208.
  • Murphy, W; Smith, JD; Inkpen, RJ (1996) Errors associated with determining P and S wave velocities for rock weathering studies, Processes of urban stone decay, pp.229-245.
  • Schuster, RL; Murphy, W (1996) Structural damage, ground failure and hydrologic effects of the magnitude (MW) 5.9 Draney Peak, Idaho, Earthquake of February 3, 1994, Seismological Research Letters, 67, pp.20-29.