Heather Viles is Professor of Biogeomorphology and Heritage Conservation at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on understanding weathering and rock breakdown in coastal, arid, and urban environments, and applying that knowledge to conserving heritage sites. She also works extensively on the links between geomorphology and ecology. Professor Viles has been Chairman of the British Society for Geomorphologists, Vice President (fieldwork) of the Royal Geographical Society, and is currently on the executive committee of the International Association of Geomorphologists. She received the Ralph Alger Bagnold Medal from the European Geosciences Union in 2015 for establishing the field of biogeomorphology.