A focus of my work has been developing observations and simple models to constrain histories of vertical lithospheric motions with a view to better understand mantle convection and the formation of sedimentary basins. 

In many places plate tectonics (e.g. horizontal motion of plates and their subsequent extension and shortening) provides an excellent framework for understanding lithospheric vertical motions. However, it is now clear that significant, O(1 km), vertical motions can be generated by transient sub-plate processes (e.g. thermal expansion of the mantle). Most of my work on developing methods that make use of drainage patterns to understand regional uplift has been focussed on filling in the gaps between reliable spot measurements (e.g. uplifted biostratigraphically-dated marine terraces) to address these problems. 

As well as this work, we make use of seismic tomography, in particular methodologies to convert seismic velocities into estimates of mantle temperature and density. We also use geochemical data and methodologies to estimate pressures and temperatures of melting, fieldwork to constrain melting histories of dynamically supported swells, potential field data to understand lithospheric strength and sub-plate support, and stratigraphy to track histories of uplift and subsidence. I highlight two studies of ours below that combine many of these approaches.