Prof. Ian D. Somerville is British. He is emeritus professor at the University College Dublin, Ireland. He received his bachelor degree from The Queen's University of Belfast in 1973, and PhD from the same university in 1977. Before moving to University College Dublin in 1979, he worked as a lecturer from 1977-1979 at the University of Ulster. He also worked as an associate lecturer at the Open University (UK) from 1978-2004.

His research is focusing on (i) Carboniferous palaeontology and biostratigraphy; (ii) Carbonate sedimentology in platforms and basins, reefs, mud mounds in Europe and North Africa; and (iii) Dolomites and fluid flow, tectonics and base-metal mineralisation of Irish Carboniferous basins. He is the member or fellow of several academic societies, including Geological Society of London, Irish Geological Association, Palaeontological Association, Yorkshire Geological Society, Irish Association for Economic Geology, Institute of Geologists of Ireland, European Federation of Geologists and International Association of Palaeogeographers. He was also appointed as the Chief Editor of the Geological Journal in 1999, and is an Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Palaeogeography and Associate Editor for Gondwana Research. He has published over 200 journal papers and edited 8 books and /or volumes. He has an h-index of 29.