Dr Adrian Anthony Finch (born 9 February 1966 in London, UK) is a British geochemist, mineralogist and petrologist. He graduated with an honours degree in Geology from Collingwood College, University of Durham, UK in 1984, having been influenced by the tutorship of Dr Henry Emeleus. His PhD (1987-1990) with Professor Ian Parsons, one of Emeleus’ own PhD students, involved the characterisation of the chemical and isotopic nature of mineralising fluids associated with alkaline magmatism in the Gardar province of South Greenland. Finch’s interest in crystallography took him into the material science industry and he took up a postdoctoral position in materials chemistry (1991-1993) with Dr John Irvine at the University of Aberdeen. Finch became lecturer and then senior lecturer in Geology at the Universities of Luton (1993-1997) and Hertfordshire (1997-2000). In 2000 he was awarded a BP-Royal Society of Edinburgh personal fellowship for his work in applied luminescence of minerals, a position he took to the University of St Andrews. He is now Reader in Earth Sciences at the University of St Andrews and one of leading figures of the Department’s commercial arm.

Finch’s research interests have included mobility of elements such as niobium, zirconium and rare earths associated with alkaline magmatism. Via a long term collaboration with his partner, Nicola Allison, Finch worked on the geochemistry of biominerals, particularly using synchrotron methods. In addition to his Royal Society of Edinburgh personal fellowship (2000), Finch has taken a close interest in the development of synchrotron radiation for Earth sciences in the UK, and has been part of advisory groups for the UK’s DIAMOND synchrotron. In 2007, he was awarded the position of Vice President of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland.