Russell Lawley is a geoscientist with over three decades of experience, currently working at the British Geological Survey since August 1990, where Russell leads the Properties and Resources team responsible for developing and publishing the UK's digital geological maps. Prior to this role, Russell served as a postgraduate researcher at the University of Sheffield from August 1980 to July 1999, focusing on silicification processes of carbonate platforms related to Pb-Zn mineralisation. Russell obtained a degree in Earth Sciences, specializing in Geology and Geophysics, from the University of Leeds between 1985 and 1988.