Scientist Profile - Paul D Williams
Dr Paul Williams is a Royal Society University Research Fellow based at the University of Reading. His research interests lie in the questions concerned with small-scale features in the atmosphere and ocean. Paul is motivated by making new discoveries about how the atmosphere and ocean work.
Paul studied at the University of Oxford for his undergraduate degree in Physics, and then stayed on to study for a DPhil (PhD) degree in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics. I asked Paul to answer a few questions about his work.
Imagine you are speaking to a child. How would you describe your work?
I develop computer models of the atmosphere and ocean, and I use the models as virtual laboratories to answer scientific questions about weather and climate.
Scientist Profile - Michelle Cain
Dr Michelle Cain is an NCAS Research Scientist at the University of Cambridge. Dr Cain studies the chemistry of the atmosphere, and uses Chemical Transport Models (CTMs) and observational data to further understanding of atmospheric chemical reactions, transport and deposition of molecules such as Ozone and Methane.
Michelle studied for a MSci in Astrophysics at UCL, and then completed a PhD in Meteorology at the University of Reading, she now works with Professor John Pyle at the University of Cambridge.
Scientist Profile - Ian Renfrew
December's NCAS Scientist of the month is Professor Ian Renfrew who is based at the University of East Anglia. Ian began his career with a Mathematics BSc from Edinburgh and then moved to the University of Reading to complete a PhD in Meteorology.
Professor Renfrew's current research focuses on the Polar regions and he specializes in boundary-layer and mesoscale meteorology. Ian also teaches and supervises students of Meteorology & Oceanography or Environmental Sciences at UEA. Most recently Ian has been involved with DIAMET which we'll talk about later on.
Scientist Profile - Mat Evans
Professor Mat Evans is based at the University of York in the Department of Chemistry. He recently became Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry Modelling, moving from the University of Leeds to York in October 2011. Mat studied Natural Science at the University of Cambridge, is originally from Wales and studies the composition of the remote troposphere. He believes that you make your own luck, but that being loud, ginger and Welsh have helped him in his career....
Scientist Profile - Alan Woolley
Mr Alan Woolley is the instrumentation manager for the FAAM Atmospheric Research Aircraft (ARA) which forms part of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS). The ARA provides an aircraft measurement platform for use by all the UK atmospheric research community on campaigns throughout the world. The aircraft is a collaboration between NERC and the Met Office.
NCAS is a distributed centre, meaning that our staff are dotted all over the UK. FAAM is based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire but quite often the staff will be with the aircraft and scientists as it flies missions all over the world measuring the atmosphere.
He told me about his work, how he got to be interested in atmospheric science and how his children view his work. Alan says ‘Getting the data right’ is what motivates him at FAAM