Supervisors: Professor Christopher Merchant and Dr Jonathan Mittaz

Project Overview: To understand the climate of today and of tomorrow, it is essential to understand the climate of the 20^th century. In this PhD, the successful student will make ambitious use of measurements from the dawn of the space age to challenge and revise our knowledge of the state of the climate in the 1960s and 1970s. This is a crucial period in the climate history of the 20^th century, spanning the beginning of a period of rapid global warming that lasted three decades.

Extracting useful climate knowledge from early satellite observations of Earth will require the successful student to engage with a range of knowledge and skills. First, they will need to understand the instruments behind the observations, and in this aspect the student will benefit from joint sponsorship with the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, who are expert in the science of measurement. Second, they will need to discover how to turn these early measurements from space into estimates of the state of the Earth. Surface temperature will be the primary target, although other parameters of interest are possible. In this the student will benefit from being part of a lively, leading group in developing climate data records from remote sensing. Third, the student will uncover and understand new insights into the climate of the period from their results, and draw out implications for our understanding of current and future climate.

As well as contributing to science of great significance to society, the student undertaking this PhD will development excellent transferable research skills, particularly the ability to extract knowledge from big data sets, using programming and statistical skills.

Eligibility: 

• Applicants should hold at least a UK honours degree at 2.1 level or equivalent in a highly numerate subject, such as mathematics, physics, geophysics or engineering.
• Due to restrictions on the funding this studentship is open to UK/EU students.

Funding Details:   

• Starts October 2015
• Three year award
• Tuition fees plus £13,863 stipend

How to apply:   

To apply for this studentship please submit an application for a PhD in Meteorology athttp://www.reading.ac.uk/graduateschool/prospectivestudents/gs-how-to-apply.aspx. 

*Important note* Please quote the reference ‘GS15-011’ in the ‘Scholarships applied for’ box which appears within the Funding Section of your on-line application.

Further Enquiries:  

Please note that, where a candidate is successful in being awarded funding, this will be confirmed via a formal studentship award letter; this will be provided separately from any Offer of Admission and will be subject to standard checks for eligibility and other criteria. 

For informal enquiries and further information about the project please contact Prof Chris Merchant,c.j.merchant<στο>reading.ac.uk, with further enquiries.