David Manning is a geologist, currently Professor of Soil Science at Newcastle University. He is Senior Science User on the NERC-funded UK GeoEnergy Observatories project, helping to maximise the research and innovation potential of the newly created facilities. He is lead on the £1.6m EPSRC-funded project NetZero GeoRDIE: Net Zero Geothermal Research for District Infrastructure Engineering, which is part of the Decarbonising Heating and Cooling programme.  He worked with Paul Younger on the Eastgate 1 km deep geothermal well, and was academic lead for the completion of the 1.6 km deep Newcastle Helix well.  David has served as President of the Geological Society of London, and has worked closely with industry throughout his career.