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UCL climate physicist appointed chairman of NERC committee
3 September 2007
Professor Duncan Wingham, Head of UCL Earth Sciences, has been appointed chairman of the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Science & Innovation Strategy Board.
As a professor of climate physics, Professor Wingham currently leads the UCL Centre for Polar Observation & Modelling, funded by NERC, which analyses satellite images of the ice caps. His team's findings on the condition of polar ice sheets have shed important new light on the degree of thawing of polar ice, and on the composition of the ice caps. He is also the Project Scientist for the European Space Agency's Cryosat-2 mission, responsible for data interpretation and the scientific aspects of a satellite to be launched into orbit to investigate the speed of thawing of Arctic ice.
The Science & Innovation Strategy Board is the top-level scientific committee at NERC, and will report to the NERC council. As chairman, Professor Wingham will advise on future investment and procurement, as well as monitoring performance.
Of his appointment, Professor Wingham said: "I am delighted to be appointed Chair of the Science & Innovation Strategy Board. The Board is a key source of advice to Council on science and innovation matters and is extremely important to the development of NERC's science strategy. NERC science is world class and I am looking forward to contributing to the delivery of our new strategic priorities."
To find out more about NERC, Professor Wingham or Cryosat-2, follow the links below:
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Professor Duncan Wingham
- UCL Centre for Polar Observation & Modelling (CPOM)
- CPOM findings
- Cryosat-2
Image: Professor Wingham in his office. On the window sill is a model of a component of the Cryosat-2 satellite.
Related links:
Academics from a wide range of departments at UCL are, like Professor Wingham, involved in research to track or tackle climate change. Examples include Professor Bill McGuire from the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, Dr Joe Flatman of the UCL Institute of Archaeology, Professor May Cassar of the UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage, Professor Richard Macrory of UCL Laws and Dr Richard Taylor of UCL Geography. Follow the links below to read more about their activities.
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