Philip Powell retired in 2003 after 40 years as assistant curator of the Museum's geological collections. He continues to work part time in the Museum, cataloguing research collections and carrying out a variety of other geological tasks. He writes articles on local geology and building stones, and is the author of The Geology of Oxfordshire and joint author of The Geology of Oxford Gravestones. He enjoys giving talks and leading walks to explain geological ideas to the general public.