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New science champions appointed

13 May 2009

New theme leaders have been appointed to champion two of the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) seven environmental research themes.

Professor Ken Norris from the University of Reading will lead the Biodiversity theme, succeeding Professor Lloyd Peck. Dr Richard Wood from the Met Office Hadley Centre will lead on Climate Systems, taking up the reins from Professor Rowan Sutton in June 2009.

The seven themes form the core of NERC's science strategy, which sets out the science needed to provide solutions to the global environmental challenges the world is facing today and will face in the future.

Dr Steven Wilson, Director, Strategy & Partnerships at NERC said, "The theme leaders have developed the first set of theme action plans which have resulted in £53m worth of research programmes aimed at delivering our strategy. Ken Norris and Richard Wood are both top quality scientists and research leaders and are excellent choices to take the plans forward into the next phase."

Biodiversity

The huge variety of life on Earth provides a multitude of services, including the provision of food, medicine and fuel, cycling nutrients, pollinating crops, disposing of waste, and regulating the climate. Many of these services are dependent on organisms and ecosystems that are threatened by biodiversity loss. NERC's overarching challenge within this theme is to understand the role of biodiversity in key ecosystem processes. We need environmental research to predict and mitigate the effects that changes in biodiversity could bring to people and the key processes that sustain life.

Professor Ken Norris has very broad research experience, from the solid foundation of basic science provided by the research councils to the policy-led, applied research on biodiversity that is supported by organisations such as Defra and the wider user community. His research interests span a range of individual, population, community and ecosystem approaches to understanding how biodiversity responds to environmental change. For the past four years he has directed the strategic and operational management of the multi-disciplinary Centre for Agri-Environmental Research at the University of Reading.

Climate Systems

Climate change is arguably the biggest challenge facing people this century. Economic development, population growth and the continued demand for fossil fuels are having major impacts on the climate system. The changes in the coming decades will vary from region to region across the planet, but their impact could be vast. NERC will play a leading role in the development of risk-based predictions of future climate - on regional and local scales, and spanning days to decades. Collaboration with key partners, most notably the Met Office, is vital.

Dr Richard Wood has an internationally recognised track record in climate research and a wide knowledge of the science and policy issues. He has contributed to and managed a number of major projects - for example, he was the UK project manager for the first stage of the UK-Japan Climate Collaboration project to build high-resolution climate models on the Earth Simulator supercomputer in Japan, and played a leading role in developing the NERC RAPID and RAPID-Watch Climate Change programmes to provide an early warning system for climate changes in the Atlantic Ocean. Since 2006 he has provided management and leadership to a group of research scientists in his role as Head of Climate, Cryosphere & Oceans at the Met Office Hadley Centre.

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. The first seven theme leaders were appointed in September 2007.

2. The theme action plans are available for download.

Press release: 13/09

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