21 March 2023
Science for Society
Speaker Biographies
Dr Jim McQuaid
Associate Professor of Atmospheric Composition, University of Leeds
Jim McQuaid has been involved in atmospheric observations for over 25 years, using both ground based sites and a number of different research aircraft. His work has crossed a diverse range of scientific questions including mechanisms that control atmospheric mineral dust in the Sahara, how measurements of ice nucleating particles can improve quantitative physical understanding of cloud responses to a warming climate and the impact of long range transport of aerosols on surface biology and albedo of the Greenland IceSheet. More recently he has started working with low cost sensors used to determine ambient PM2.5 and has developed observational networks across West Yorkshire, working with the Born in Bradford cohort study and Leeds City Council. This work includes working with primary schools and engagement with local communities.
Chloe Brimicombe (she/her)
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Wegner Center, University of Graz, Austria
Chloe is a post-doc on the HIGH horizons, an EU horizons project which explores the impact of heat on maternal, infant, child and health worker health. She is finishing her PhD at the University of Reading with ECMWF entitled ‘Too Hot to Handle: The Global Impact of Extreme Heat'. Chloe was awarded the RMetS Malcolm Walker award in 2022 for an outstanding early career researcher for her work on heat early warning systems and science communication, areas she is passionate about.
Peter Stott (he/him)
Science Fellow in Attribution, Met Office and Professor in Detection and Attribution University of Exeter
Peter Stott is Science Fellow in Climate Attribution at the Met Office and Professor in Detection and Attribution at the University of Exeter. He has played a leading role in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and has been published in Nature and Science, among many other journals. With artist and musician Pierrette Thomet, he co-devised the Climate Stories project bringing together artists, scientists and community members to develop new narratives about climate change. His book Hot Air: The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change Denial was shortlisted for the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize and the Royal Society of Literature’s Christopher Bland Prize. He is co-chair of the Royal Meteorological Society’s Science Engagement Committee.
Modelling
Dr Graham Mann (he/him)
Lecturer, University of Leeds
I am a lecturer in Atmospheric Science at the University of Leeds, my research to understand variations in the stratospheric aerosol layer and the impacts large-magnitude explosive eruptions have on climate and the ozone layer.
I lead the development and application of the GLOMAP aerosol microphysics module, in collaboration with scientists at the UK Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
I am on the leadership team of a new international activity co-ordinating a 2025 special report on the impacts from the January 2022 Hunga-Tonga eruption aligned to the World Climate Research Programme’s SPARC activity (see https://www.sparc-climate.org/2023/01/27/new-sparc-activity-on-hunga-tonga-stratospheric-impacts/ ).
.jpg)
Dr Peter Anthony Cook (he/him)
Research Scientist, Global Systems Institute, Department of Geography, University of Exeter
Since obtaining my PhD in Atmospheric Physics at UMIST (the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology), I’ve had a number of postdoctoral research positions at different Universities around the UK, examining a variety of data, and developing and applying models. Studying different parts of the atmosphere, air pollution and chemistry, aerosols and clouds, surface-atmosphere interactions, and soil and vegetation. I joined Exeter University and the CongoPeat Project in August 2021, and work with Richard Betts, Sarah Chadburn and Eleanor Burke.
Dr Amy Charlotte Green (she/her)
Research Associate, Newcastle University
I am currently a researcher in the Water Group at Newcastle University, working on data and visualisation for dynamic, hyper resolution flood risk assessment. I recently graduated from a doctorate at Newcastle University, with my thesis titled ‘Improving radar rainfall estimation for urban flood risk using Monte Carlo ensemble simulation’. I have a masters degree in mathematics and statistics from Newcastle University, and have a keen interest in predicting environmental extremes, as well as applied statistics, and coding.
Dr Beatriz Fernández-Duque
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Global Change (ECOFUN), Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), Spain
Ph.D. in Physics (2021) from the University of Valladolid (Spain). Her thesis focused on atmospheric physics and more specifically on statistical studies on the evolution of CO2 and CH4 temporal patterns in the upper Spanish plateau. She has been trained at different European universities such as the University of Aveiro (Portugal) in the “Atmospheric Processes and Modeling” group and the University of Thessaloniki (Greece) in the “Regional Climate Modeling” group. Besides, she has been also trained at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (Norway). She is currently a post-doctoral research at the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (Spain) focused on Eddy covariance statistical data treatment. ORCID number: 0000-0002-0083-6559
Tropical
Tamara Collier
Seasonal Forecast Initialisation Scientist, Met Office
Tamara graduated from the University of Reading with a Masters in Applied Meteorology. Tamara now works for the Met Office in Exeter. A primary part of her role is producing an ocean and sea ice reanalysis from which to initialise the GloSea system. She has also been working on researching model errors in the GloSea system, including the rainfall bias present in the tropical Atlantic. She is interested in the cause of model biases on the ocean and the atmosphere on a seasonal timescale.
Sen Jaiswal Rajasri
Awaiting biography
Lai (Steven) Xu
Johns Hopkins University
I am now a senior student at Johns Hopkins University majoring in earth science, economics and applied maths. My research focus is on ENSO tropical cyclone, and MJO. I am now doing research with my professor Darryn Waugh in Johns Hopkins University on the relationship between ENSO and its impacts on tropical cyclone activities in China, and have finished a project on the relationship between PDO and hurricanes in 2021.
Dr Anu Gupta
Special Researcher, Tokyo Metropolitan University
Awaiting biography.
Dr James Pope (he/him)
Senior Climate Scientist, Met Office
James has worked on climate for 14 years across his MSc (Edinburgh University), PhD (Leeds University) and post-doc positions at the British Antarctic Survey, before joining the UKCP Science into Services team at the Met Office in July 2019.
Within this team, James’ research activities have focussed on the application of a weather forecasting tool (static weather patterns) to the UKCP Global ensemble and looking at ways to improve the communication of climate science to diverse audiences. This has included the work in the Outer Hebrides but also the July 2050 Future Forecast and work for BBC Sport and Wimbledon.
Franz Ossing (he/his)
Head media and communications, ret, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Franz Ossing gained his diploma from Freie Universität Berlin in 1979. After receiving his diploma he worked on projects for the development of methods in numerical simulation of air pollution on a regional/superregional scale at Freie Universität Berlin and The Technische Universität Berlin. He then went on to become project manager for environmental and technology consulting at the Berlin Innovation and Start-Up Centre (BIG) and observation aircraft construction. Between 1994 and 2016 Franz worked as head of public relations at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences where he retired in July 2016. Franz scientific interests include science communication, science in arts and photography.
Dr Helene Muri (she/her)
Research Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Dr. Helene Muri has a PhD in atmospheric sciences from the University of Oxford (2009) and BSc in Meteorology from the University of Reading. She has primarily been working with Earth system models on topics ranging from aerosol-cloud interactions, anthropogenic climate change, mitigation solutions within shipping and aviation and geoengineering. Dr. Muri has contributed to the IPCC WG1 and WG3 reports, and authored more than 60 journal articles. She is actively engaged with outreach and advisor to policymakers.
Stanley Gedzelman
Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, City College of New York
Stanley David Gedzelman, Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences at City College of New York (1970-2012). Growing up in Far Rockaway, NY heightened my sensitivity to the weather. That combined with my love of mathematics, the outdoors, and teaching set my path as a meteorology professor, where I authored over 100 technical and popular scientific articles and the textbook, The Science and Wonders of the Atmosphere (1980). My love of the atmosphere's power gradually broadened to include its beauty. On retirement I moved with my wife, Bernice to San Mateo where our daughter lives, and keep active by teaching, writing, and learning. During retirement I completed four books including The Soul of All Scenery: A History of the Sky in Art, available on my website, www.stanrenaissanceman.com.
Karen Aplin (she/her)
Professor of Space Science and Technology, Bristol University
Karen Aplin is Professor of Space Science and Technology at Bristol University and Visiting Professor of Meteorology at the University of Reading. Her research uses novel instrumentation and experiments to understand and exploit electrical properties of atmospheres. She also studies space weather, aerosols, and recovery of historical electrostatic data. She received the 2021 Royal Astronomical Society’s James Dungey Lecture for her planetary atmospheric electricity work. Her degrees are in Physics and Philosophy from Durham, and a PhD from Reading Meteorology. She also has a classical performance diploma from Trinity College London and enjoys opportunities to combine these interests.
Impacts
Dimitra Gkouzouli (she/her)
Project Lead, Six Degrees Edinburgh
Dimitra Gkouzouli is a Project Lead in Air Pollution Research in the United Kingdom at Six Degrees sustainability-promoting organisation, since 2021. She is also in her penultimate year of her intergraded master's degree in Geophysics and Meteorology at the University of Edinburgh and is keen on data analytics. Her research focuses on sustainability and crisis management. Dimitra has contributed to multiple award-winning projects from organisations including Sparke Change, Network for Intercultural Competence to facilitate Entrepreneurship, Science-Slam Edinburgh, and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. She has also an academic background in Physics and years of experience working in client-facing roles.
Lærke Salhauge-Rasmussen (she/her)
Six Degrees Edinburgh/ Heriot-Watt University
Lærke graduated from The University of Edinburgh with a master’s degree in International Relations in November last year. She has a strong interest in climate and energy policy, and wrote her master's dissertation on the EU's energy policy response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its potential impact on climate change mitigation. She is currently employed as a research assistant at Heriot -Watt university in Edinburgh where she is contributing to a research project on circular economy practices among small and medium sized businesses in Scotland.
Fenja Kroos (she/her)
Researcher, Six Degrees Edinburgh
Fenja Kroos is a researcher with a BSc in Geography International from the University of Hamburg and an MSc in Environmental Protection and Management from the University of Edinburgh. During her MSc, she has focussed among other topics on Atmospheric Quality and Global Change. This tied in with her research at the student-led environmental think-tank and consultancy SixDegrees where she focussed on the impacts of air pollution on the environment, health and the economy. Other research interests include the Arctic. Fenja Kroos represents early career researchers on the steering group of the Scottish Arctic Network (ScAN) and was a speaker at last year’s Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik.
Dr Victoria L. Boult (she/her)
NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellow, University of Reading; NCAS
Dr Victoria L. Boult is a NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellow in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading. She is part of the TAMSAT research group, aiming to enhance the capacity of African organisations to make use of satellite-based rainfall estimates and soil moisture forecasts. Victoria has worked closely with partners in the agricultural, humanitarian and wildlife conservation sectors to develop drought early warning systems to aid decision making. She is broadly interested in ecological forecasting and the coproduction of climate services.
Clare Lewis
PhD Student, University of Reading & Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Clare Lewis is a PhD researcher based at the University of Reading and Plymouth Marine Laboratory where her research is on meteotsunami in the UK. She also has an MSc in coastal zone management from the University of Ulster.
Currently, Clare lives in the North Cornwall village of Tintagel where she was until recently a local councillor specialising in environmental issues. Before embarking on a PhD Clare spent many years working for the Field Studies Council and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Whilst with the latter she highlights her favourite part of the job was giving educational talks on Flamingos.
Samuel Anees-Hill (he/him)
PhD Student, Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, University of Leicester
We breath in airborne fungal spores with every breath we take, yet relatively little is known about the health-related effects from individual groups of spores. I’ve worked in the field of mycology since my time as an NHS Healthcare Scientist. My present PhD is a collaboration between the University of Leicester and the UK Health Security Agency to investigate outdoor fungal spore exposure and the role this plays in the exacerbation of asthma. Output includes the development of spore concentration forecasts with machine learning techniques, which are possible with the availability of particularly long time-series of spore counts in Leicester.
Afternoon Keynote Plenary
James Cosgrove (he/him)
Senior Catastrophe Modeler, Moody’s RMS
James works as a senior catastrophe modeler and meteorologist within the Moody’s RMS Event Response team, which supports the (re)insurance and catastrophe risk management sectors by providing real-time guidance and modeling across a wide breadth of global natural catastrophes including tropical and extratropical cyclones, floods, severe convective storms, wildfires, and earthquakes.
James is a member of the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) and holds a master’s degree in Applied Meteorology from the University of Reading and a bachelor’s degree in Physical Geography and Geology from the University of Southampton.
Prof. David M. Schultz (he/him)
Professor of Synoptic Meteorology, and Director, Centre for Crisis Studies and Mitigation, University of Manchester
David Schultz is Professor of Synoptic Meteorology at the University of Manchester and Director of the Centre for Crisis Studies and Mitigation, a new interdisciplinary network of natural hazard researchers. Among his many research interests are the physical processes that lead to hazardous weather events such as heavy rain, tornadoes, snowstorms, and windstorms. He has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles and from 2008–2022 served as the Chief Editor of Monthly Weather Review, the oldest continuously running meteorological journal in the world. He is Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and Royal Meteorological Society, a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, and a winner of multiple teaching awards. He has taught thousands of students through his online course “Our Earth: Its Climate, History and Processes” on Coursera. He is also the author of Eloquent Science: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Better Writer, Speaker, and Atmospheric Scientist.
Helen Roberts (she/her)
PhD Student, University of Reading
Helen joined the Met Office as a trainee weather forecaster in 2003, and spent much of her career as an Operational Meteorologist working in a variety of sectors, including military, aviation, transport, retail and media. She worked as a TV weather presenter for BBC Spotlight for around four years, and can still be seen occasionally on screen presenting the weather for a variety of channels, and co-hosts the Met Office podcast 'Mostly Weather’.
In 2020 Helen spotted a gap in Met Office capabilities, whereby there had been plenty of focus on the physical and data sciences, but social science had been somewhat overlooked. She studied for an MSc in psychology alongside her day job, and created the role she now occupies, ‘Socio-Meteorologist’, working at the intersection of the social and physical sciences in order to ensure the forecasts and warnings help people make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.