Dr. Jeremy Leggett: 1. Conflict over his own research

1. Conflict over his own research

The boy who loved collecting fossils

Jeremy Leggett was born in March 1954 in the suburbs of Hastings in southern England. He lived with his parents and a sister who was two years younger than he.

His parents loved nature. During holidays, they traveled to Scotland, stayed in youth hostels, enjoyed camping, and went hiking in the mountains. Influenced by his childhood experiences, he became an active boy who loved playing sports.

Jeremy loved playing soccer

He loved fishing too, but what he liked most was collecting fossils and rocks. This opened the door to science for him. His strong interest in fossils brought him to study geology at university and as a graduate student. Added to this, his deep interest in the history of the planet led to work related to climate change.

Research at the university

Jeremy graduated from secondary school at 16, and entered a local college to study botany, zoology, and geography. He was not a top student, but his grades in botany and zoology were good, and he entered the University of Wales.

After graduating from the University of Wales, he entered a graduate program at Oxford University. There he began research on ancient oceans. Marine sediment in southern Scotland originated from an ancient ocean that once lay between North America and Europe, and he studied rocks collected from this sediment.

Dr. Stuart McKerrow, his research instructor, was a dedicated geologist who cared greatly for each of his students. Jeremy still remembers what Dr. McKerrow said to him once while they were doing field work: "Leggett, you are a long way from being the most intelligent student I’ve had, but by God, you’re the most organized." Hearing these words made him very happy.

After studying for three years, he earned his doctorate in earth science.

Before leaving the Royal School of Mines

When 24-year-old Jeremy was nearing the end of his graduate studies, he happened upon a listing for a position as lecturer at the Imperial College Royal School of Mines. Although everyone said that it would be nearly impossible for him to get the position, he was offered the job. It was the perfect opportunity for him to continue his research.

At the Royal School of Mines, while teaching stratigraphy, an area of geology focusing on geological formations and research on the history of the earth, he participated in a project to explore shale deposits with petroleum trapped within them. The research project was funded by major oil companies.

However, he gradually began to feel conflicted over the fact that while he was teaching students that oil and coal are the causes of environmental problems, his research served to help oil companies.

After thinking long and hard, he made the decision to resign from his position and withdraw from the research project. It was 1989, and he was 35 years old.

2. Pioneer for green energy