Students
Ellie Duncan
Background: BSc Mathematics; MSc Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate.
PhD Research: Untangling natural aerosol processes in Polar Regions by implementing novel machine learning techniques.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Daniel Partridge, Jonathan Fieldsend, Jim Haywood and Alistair Sellar (External).
Ellie's Profile: Ellie Duncan
Postgraduate Researcher
My research focuses on untangling natural aerosol processes in Polar Regions, using machine learning techniques and evaluation of climate models in a Lagrangian framework.
I previously completed a BSc in Mathematics at the University of Exeter and a MSc in Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate at the University of Reading, with a dissertation titled 'Quantifying Aerosol-driven Changes in Cloud Properties in Pollution Tracks'.
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Frederica Poznansky
Background: BSc Environmental Sciences; MRes Tropical Forest Ecology.
PhD Research: Soundscapes in Tropical Landscapes.
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Frank van Veen and Saptarshi Das.
Trish Nowak
Background: BSc Physical Geography; MSc Ocenaography (Physical, Biological and Ecological).
PhD Research: Entangling curious reasons for long-range travels of coarse dust particles in lower atmosphere and their impacts on climate, environment and human life.
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Benno Simmons, Stefan Siegert and Andy Augousti (External).
Trish's Profile: Trish Nowak
My current project focuses on utilising machine learning methods to gain better understanding of environmental processes. This method offers possible clues on causality of processes, rather than just correlation between parameters. In particular my research will focus on a journey of Saharan mineral dust and its further impact on: displacement of West African Monsoon system, biogeochemical cycles and productivity of central Atlantic Ocean, and biogeochemical cycles and the productivity of the Amazon rainforest. For example, the Amazon rainforest's soils are found to be nutrient poor, with no clear sources of essential micro- and macronutrients (phosphorous and iron in particular). Current theory of Saharan mineral dust enriching Amazon rainforest soils is fairly well known. However, annual quantity estimates of transported dust (and thus the nutrients) yield large uncertainties and vary between the studies.
The power of machine learning may provide us with reduced uncertainties, better estimates and perhaps suggest missing links. ML's ability to analyse dozens of parameters over decades of data sets may unveil new or previously overlooked causalities. The possibility of solving a long standing scientific question is what inspires and drives me throughout my research.
Alice Florence Wells
Background: MMath Mathematics.
PhD Research: Using effusive and explosive volcanic eruptions as natural analogues for solar radiation management strategies and assessing the public opinion of geoengineering.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Jim Haywood, James Dyke and Daniel Partridge.
Alice's Profile: Alice Wells
Postgraduate
My research is looking at using volcanic eruptions as natural analogues for geoengineering. To achieve this I will be using remote sensing techniques and analysing the Met Office's Earth System Model to evaluate model skill.
Past Research
MMath Mathematics, University of Exeter with 1st class honours, 2019.
Thesis title: Investigation of the role of marine organics in cloud droplet formation over the Southern Ocean.
Timothy Lam
Background: BSc Earth Sciences; MSc Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
PhD Research: Quantifying teleconnection pathways leading to Droughts and Wildfires in Indonesian Borneo.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Jennifer Catto, Anna Harper and Rosa Barciela (External).
Manju Bura
Background: BSc Biomedical Sciences; MSc Climate Change Science and Policy.
PhD Research: The social life of heatwaves: A multimodal study of framing of heatwaves.
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: Ernesto Schwartz-Marin and Chico Camargo.
Owain Harris
Background: MPhys Physics.
PhD Research: TBC
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: Ricardo Safra de Campos and Sarah Hartley.
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Tom Hogger Gadsby
Background: BA Philosophy, MA Philosophy.
PhD Research: Modelling past, present and potential futures of mobility in Mexico City
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: Ernesto Schwartz-Marin, Federico Botta and Patricia Murrieta-Flores (External)
Joshua Redmond
Background: BSc Politics.
PhD Research: Participatory Design for Human Rights Monitoring using Earth Observation Data.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Ernesto Schwartz-Marin, Hugo Barbosa and Ana Beduschi.
Jonathan Growcott
Background: MBiol Biological Sciences.
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: Benno Simmons, Matthew Mijers (External), Johan Wahlstrom and Richard Everson.
Abhi Navaneethanathan
Background: MSci Physics with Theoretical Physics.
PhD Research: Developing ML and statistical models to study global particulate organic carbon fluxes through the data fusion of sparse, heterogeneous and in-situ oceanographic observations.
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Chunbo Luo, Peter Challenor and Sabina Leonelli.
Benjamin Fitkov-Norris
Background: BA Biological Sciences.
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: TBC
Ben's Profile: Ben Fitkov-Norris
Postgraduate Researcher in Environmental Intelligence
I am in my second year on the Environmental Intelligence CDT based at the University of Exeter, following a BA in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford. Having worked on coral reef ecology, I am keen to explore the use of large-scale planetary data in my research.
My current research interests include marine ecology, marine protected area design and marine resource management and I will be working on the application of big data approaches and novel AI solutions to help tackle the environmental challenges surrounding these interests.
Elizabeth Galloway
Background: MSci Natural Sciences.
PhD Research: Modelling the impacts of tropical storms in the Philippines using statistical and machine learning approaches.
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Jennifer Catto and Chunbo Luo.
Guy Lomax
Background: BA and MSci Natural Sciences (Geology); MSc Sustianable Energy Futures.
PhD Research: Measuring and managing rangeland resilience with remote sensing.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Tom Powell, Tim Lenton, Andrew Cunliffe and Theo Economou.
Guy's Profile: Guy Lomax
Postgraduate Researcher
My PhD research focuses on using satellite remote sensing data for monitoring of land degradation and resilience in rangeland ecosystems, in collaboration with a community conservation organisation in Northern Kenya.
I began my PhD studies following five years working at The Nature Conservancy on land sector pathways to climate change mitigation (Natural Climate Solutions) including conservation agriculture, agroforestry and sustainable wood products. I am interested in how research can be most effectively used to support environmental policy and practice.
My wider research interests include:
- Remote sensing for real-time monitoring and management of ecosystems
- Nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation
- The role of carbon dioxide removal in climate change mitigation
- Building sustainable food systems in a world of growing demands for food and energy
Jake Curry
Background: BSc Zoology; MRes Computational Methods in Ecology and Evolution.
PhD Research: Bringing ‘Big Data’ to conservation; applying computer vision techniques to automate detection and classification in camera trap image data.
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: Benno Simmons, Sareh Rowlands and Jacqueline Christmas.
Nicola Wilson
Background: BSc Geography with Oceanography; MSc Water and Coastal Management.
PhD Research: How can digital technologies help upscale and finance blue carbon?
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Chris Lang, Bob Brewin, Rudy Arthur and Sarah Hartley.
Nicola's Profile: Nicola Wilson
Postgraduate
I am an interdisciplinary scientist interested in the use of novel technologies and data science to drive system change, improve decision making and inform policy. I particularly enjoy working at the interface of research with policy and business applications.
My research area is focusing on how novel digital technologies can help upscale and finance blue carbon, with a focus on seagrass.
Before joining the CDT, I worked for many years in flood and coastal risk management in both public and private sectors, later specialising in coastal adaptation strategies and policy research.
Research interests
- Financing blue carbon
- Satellite applications
- Nature-based solutions
- Digital technologies and innovation
- Socio-ecological interactions
- Systems thinking
Qualifications
2004: BSc Geography with Oceanography (University of Southampton)
2008: European MSc Water and Coastal Management (University of Plymouth/Universidad de Cadiz, Spain)
2013: L5 Diploma in Management and Leadership (Chartered Management Institute)
2016: Chartered Water and Environmental Manager (CIWEM)
Cesar Arturo Angeles Ruiz
Background: BSc Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering; MSc Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology.
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: James Dyke, James Salter and Sarah Hartley.
Ellie Fox
Background: BA Geography.
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: Steven Palmer, Ernesto Schwartz-Marin and Sally Rangecroft.
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Ian Burton
Background: LLB Law and Criminology; MA Politics and Contemporary History.
PhD Research: The impact of innovation and technology diffusion decarbonisation policy packages on the global economy-energy-environment system.
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Jean Francois Mercure, Femke Nijsse and Sarah Hartley.
Margaret Bolton
Background: BSc Ecology; MSc Applied Ecology.
PhD Research: Inter-comparability and consistency of ecological fitness proxies across populations.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Regan Early, Sabina Leonelli and Bram Kuijper.
Arthur Vandervoort
Background: BA International Relations.
PhD Research: In the wake of disaster: analysing gendered mobility patterns by leveraging mobile phone data, data feminism, and justice.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Sabina Leonelli, Karyn Morrissey and Riccardo di Clemente.
Emily Robinson
Background: BSc Marine Environmental Science; MRes Geochemistry.
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: Sarah Hartley and Chico Camargo.
Monty Sant
Background: MChem Chemistry.
PhD Research: Ocean abosorption and storage of anthropogenic carbon.
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Andrew Watson and Peter Challenor.
Liam Berrisford
Background: BSc Computer Science. Professional experience as a Software Engineer in Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Counter Terrorism and Security Division).
PhD Research: The structure and dynamics of future transport infrastructure.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Ronaldo Menezes, Hugo Barbosa and Ricardo Safra de Campos.
Liam's Profile: Liam Berrisford
Postgraduate Researcher
2019 - Present Postgraduate Researcher within the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Enviromental Intelligence
2018-2019 Software Engineer
2015-2018 BSc Computer Science
Research Interests: Sustainable and Resilient Smart Cities, Citizen Science and Human-Computer Interaction
Personal Website for more information: Liam Berrisford
Emma Bailey
Background: MMath in Mathematics.
PhD Research: Tipping Sustainable Change: Social Dynamics and Contagion.
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Tim Lenton, Hywel Williams and Catherine Butler.
Sara Sjosten
Background: BA Natural Sciences; MSc Geological Sciences.
PhD Research: How can drastic changes in the Earth system in deep time help us understand how current ecosystems may respond to further human perturbation? How much more human disturbance can ecosystems tolerate before they collapse?
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Tim Lenton and Peter Roopnarine (External).
Chris Kerry
Background: BSc Physical Geography, MSc Biodiversity and Conservation.
PhD Research: Enforcement, remote sensing, and data science for effective illegal fishing deterrence.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Kristian Metcalfe, Saptarshi Das, Karyn Morrissey, Sam Weber and Tom Letessier.
Chris's Profile: Chris Kerry
Chris's Publications: Chris Kerry Publications
Research Interests
I am a marine conservation scientist with my research mainly focussed on investigating methods of tracking global fishing activity to monitor ecological impacts. I am interested in how remote sensing and data science can be used to inform ocean management and have also been involved in the satellite tracking of basking sharks and tuna in UK waters and creating quantitative assessments of ocean health.
Ned Westwood
Background: BA International Relations and Politics; MRes Politics.
PhD Research: Computer assisted classification of political narratives that impede and promote action on climate change.
Cohort: 1 (2019)
Supervisors: Travis Coan, Hywel Williams and Saffron O'Neill.
Kevin Donkers
Background: MSci Chemical Physics.
PhD Research: Can agroforestry be utilised at scale to meet climate adaptation and mitigation needs of UK agriculture?
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Brett Day and Danny Williamson.
Daneen Cowling
Background: BSc Geography; MSc by Research Geography.
PhD Research: Enhanced erosion and the land-ocean continuum: Assessing the biogeochemical responses to vulnerable landscapes.
Cohort: 2 (2020)
Supervisors: Tim Lenton, Ute Schuster and Jacqueline Christmas.
Nathanael Sheehan
Background: BSc Computer Science and Mandarin; MSc Smart Cities and Urban Analytics
PhD Research: TBC
Cohort: 3 (2021)
Supervisors: Sabina Leonelli and Federico Botta.
Rhiannon Grant
Background: BSc and MSc Geography
Cohort: 4 (2022)
Zihao Chen
Background: MSc Urban Informatics, BSc Computer Science
Cohort: 4 (2022)
Alex Edwards
Background: MSc Climate Change and Environmental Policy, BSc Conservation Biology
Cohort: 4 (2022)
Ceren Barlas
Background: MSc in Environmental Health, BSc in Biology & Computer Science
Cohort: 4 (2022)
Morgan Sparey
Background: Natural Sciences integrated MSc
Cohort: 4 (2022)
Ashish Sundar
Background: MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Cohort: 4 (2022)
Paul Bell
Background: MSci Physics
Cohort: 4 (2022)
Our students are recruited to the CDT from a range of academic and professional backgrounds. Scroll through their profiles to find out about them and their Environmental Intelligence research.
Cohort 1 (2019)
| Student | PhD Research | Supervisors |
| Liam Berrisford | 'The structure and dynamics of future transport infrastructure.' | Ronaldo Menezes, Hugo Barbosa and Ricardo Safra de Campos |
| Margaret Bolton | 'Inter-comparability and consistency of ecological fitness proxies across populations.' | Regan Early, Sabina Leonelli and Bram Kuijper |
| Ellie Duncan | 'Untangling natural aerosol processes in Polar Regions by implementing novel machine learning techniques.' | Daniel Partridge, Jonathan Fieldsend, Jim Haywood and Alistair Sellar (External) |
| Chris Kerry | 'Enforcement, remote sensing, and data science for effective illegal fishing deterrence.' | Kristian Metcalfe, Saptarshi Das, Karyn Morrissey, Sam Weber and Tom Letessier |
| Timothy Lam | 'Quantifying teleconnection pathways leading to Droughts and Wildfires in Indonesian Borneo.' | Jennifer Catto, Anna Harper and Rosa Barciela (External) |
| Guy Lomax | 'Measuring and managing rangeland resilience with remote sensing.' | Tom Powell, Tim Lenton, Andrew Cunliffe and Theo Economou |
| Joshua Redmond | 'Participatory Design for Human Rights Monitoring using Earth Observation Data.' | Ernesto Schwartz-Marin, Hugo Barbosa and Ana Beduschi |
| Arthur Vandervoort | 'In the wake of disaster: analysing gendered mobility patterns by leveraging mobile phone data, data feminism, and justice.' | Sabina Leonelli, Karyn Morrissey and Riccardo di Clemente |
| Alice Wells | 'Using effusive and explosive volcanic eruptions as natural analogues for solar radiation management strategies and assessing the public opinion of geoengineering.' | Jim Haywood, James Dyke and Daniel Partridge |
| Ned Westwood | 'Computer assisted classification of political narratives that impede and promote action on climate change.' | Travis Coan, Hywel Williams and Saffron O'Neill |
Cohort 2 (2020)
| Student | PhD Research | Supervisors |
|
Emma Bailey |
'Tipping Sustainable Change: Social Dynamics and Contagion.' | Tim Lenton, Hywel Williams and Catherine Butler |
| Ian Burton | 'The impact of innovation and technology diffusion decarbonisation policy packages on the global economy-energy-environment system.' | Jean Francois Mercure, Femke Nijsse and Sarah Hartley |
| Daneen Cowling | 'Enhanced erosion and the land-ocean continuum: Assessing the biogeochemical responses to vulnerable landscapes.' | Tim Lenton, Ute Schuster and Jacqueline Christmas |
| Kevin Donkers | 'Can agroforestry be utilised at scale to meet climate adaptation and mitigation needs of UK agriculture?' | Brett Day and Danny Williamson |
| Elizabeth Galloway | 'Modelling the impacts of tropical storms in the Philippines using statistical and machine learning approaches.' | Jennifer Catto and Chunbo Luo |
| Abhi Navaneethanathan | 'Developing ML and statistical models to study global particulate organic carbon fluxes through the data fusion of sparse, heterogeneous and in-situ oceanographic observations.' | Chunbo Luo, Peter Challenor and Sabina Leonelli |
| Trish Nowak | 'Entangling curious reasons for long-range travels of coarse dust particles in lower atmosphere and their impacts on climate, environment and human life.' | Benno Simmons, Stefan Siegert and Andy Augousti (External) |
| Frederica Poznansky | 'Soundscapes in Tropical Landscapes.' | Frank van Veen and Saptarshi Das |
| Monty Sant | 'Ocean abosorption and storage of anthropogenic carbon.' | Andrew Watson and Peter Challenor |
| Sara Sjosten |
'How can drastic changes in the Earth system in deep time help us understand how current ecosystems may respond to further human perturbation? How much more human disturbance can ecosystems tolerate before they collapse?' |
Tim Lenton and Peter Roopnarine (External) |
| Nicola Wilson | 'How can digital technologies help upscale and finance blue carbon?' | Chris Laing, Bob Brewin, Rudy Arthur and Sarah Hartley |
Cohort 3 (2021)
| Student | PhD Research | Supervisors |
| Cesar Angeles Ruiz | 'Incorporating renewable energy in electricity grids.' | James Dyke, James Salter and Sarah Hartley |
| Manju Bura | 'The social life of heatwaves: A multimodal study of framing of heatwaves.' | Ernesto Schwartz-Marin and Chico Camargo |
| Jake Curry | 'Application of Computer Vision Methods to Camera Trapping for Ecology and Conservation.' | Benno Simmons, Sareh Rowlands and Jacqueline Christmas |
| Ben Fitkov-Norris | TBC | TBC |
| Ellie Fox | 'Impacts of glacier melt on water availability and quality for downstream communities in the Andes: A socio-cryspheric systems approach.' | Steven Palmer, Ernesto Schwartz-Marin and Sally Rangecroft |
| Jonathan Growcott | 'Multimodal monitoring or large African carnivores.' | Benno Simmons, Matthew Mijers (External), Johan Wahlstrom and Richard Everson |
| Owain Harris | TBC | Ricardo Safra de Campos and Sarah Hartley |
| Tom Hogger Gadsby | 'Modelling past, present and potential futures of mobility in Mexico City.' | Ernesto Schwartz-Marin, Federico Botta and Patricia Murrieta-Flores (External) |
| Emily Robinson | 'Tracking the discourse of transboundary injustices of Net Zero decarbonization strategies.' | Sarah Hartley and Chico Camargo |
| Nathanael Sheehan | TBC | Sabina Leonelli and Federico Botta |
Cohort 4 (2022)
| Student | PhD Research | Supervisors |
| Ceren Barlas | TBC | |
| Zihao Chen | TBC | |
| Alex Edwards | TBC | |
| Morgan Sparey | TBC | |
| Ashish Sundar | TBC | |
| Paul Bell | TBC | |
| Rhiannon Grant | TBC |