When geology was first taught in Bristol in 1876, there as a single lecturer. Then, the first professor was appointed in 1879, but was still the only member of academic staff. At that point, geology was part of a larger department that included geography and zoology. It was only after the University was founded in 1909, and Geology became its own Department in 1910, that staff numbers began to grow slowly.
So, we offer not just professors with extensive whiskers, but also assistants and lecturers such as the coral expert Stanley Smith. There is an extraordinary self-taught local geologist who was hired initially as a fossil collector, and a professor who bestrode Africa, working on ancient carnivores and other mammals from Kenya and Libya. Happy explorations!