My research focus started in planetary science but has slowly moved onto mainly the theory and modelling of the Earth's atmosphere and climate.

As well as the publications tab above, more details on my research publications are available on my google scholar and publons webpages

The activities tab has more details on research-related outreach and publicity

Click here for other current PhD opportunities in Environmental Sciences or contact me to discuss projects outside these areas and alternative sources of funding.

After getting a doctorate at the University of Oxford I was a US National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the NASA Ames Research Centre in California, studying the atmosphere and climate of Mars, and contributing to planning for space missions.  At that time I also worked on constructing theoretical and computer-based models to predict the properties of the climates of exoplanets- these are planets orbiting stars other than the Sun.  I also spent a year as a scientist at the SETI institute (doing more research on planetary climates - not hunting for aliens).  I then moved earthwards to the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, where I worked on physical models of climate and climate change.  After some time as a research scientist at the Met Office, I returned to Reading as a senior scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, before coming to UEA.

I'm part of the Climatic Research Unit and the Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences

My research is about understanding the climate of Earth (and other planets), as well as the dynamical and physical processes underpinning climate change, especially:

• The response of climate to radiative drivers- processes that change the Earth's climatic energy balance

• Large-scale patterns of climate change, such as the warming contrast between land and ocean, and how they emerge through this century

• Stratospheric processes and climate

• The climates of terrestrial or Earthlike exoplanets

I accomplish this using a combination of numerical (computer) models of varying complexity and simpler theories. More recently I've been working on the human impacts of climate change, and the study of palaeoclimates. A huge range of disciplines are studied at Environmental sciences at UEA, making for an extremely stimulating research environment.

• Member of the Peer Review College of the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

• Contributing author to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 5th Assessment Report (Working Group 1) 2013

• Contributor to "Geoengineering the climate: science, governance and uncertainty"- a report from the Royal Society in 2009

Sometimes the media has become interested in research that I've been involved in; here are examples:

• An article and interview in the Carbon Brief website about research showing how much future climates are going to differ from the highs and lows that people currently experience.

• An interview with the BBC World Service about a paper investigating exoplanet oceans

• A paper in Nature Climate Change in 2013 about the effects of climate change on aviation turbulence generated a lot of press coverage: here are interviews with CNN (click to play) and Canadian TV: Canadian TV

• Interview with the BBC (broadcast on radio 5 live and other stations) about the winter 2013-14 floods (starts about 4'25" in)

• A paper about the effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation on Ashes series results in Australia received a lot of press attention

• An article about my extrasolar planets research from New Scientist in 2001

I've given public talks on climate change from time to time. I also contributed to the UEA 50th anniversary festival by leading a conversation cafe type event on the science of climate change.

I currently teach on these modules:

• Climate Systems ENV-6025B (module convenor & lecturer)

• Climate Change: Physical Science Basis ENV-7014A (lecturer)

• Global Environmental Challenges ENV-4001A (lecturer)

• Meteorology II and fieldcourse ENVK5010B (fieldcourse lecturer)

• Course director, MSc Climate Change