Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) has welcomed a new lecturer in Atmospheric Science.

Dr James Keeble, who completed his undergraduate in Geoscience at Royal Holloway, University of London, before doing a PhD in chemistry at the University of Cambridge, said he was excited about taking his next step in his research career at LEC.

As part of his PhD, James used the UKCA chemistry-climate model to explore the impact of polar stratospheric clouds on stratospheric ozone depletion and resulting climate impacts.

He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Cambridge, before starting a role as a research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.

He said: “Throughout my career, I have always found it incredibly rewarding to work with researchers from a range of backgrounds and research interests, so I am excited to join a centre with such a broad range of environmental science research going on.

“I share LEC’s belief that environmental challenges require research which spans traditional scientific disciplines, and its commitment to training the next generation of environmental scientists.

“I’m really enjoying it so far!”

James said that his research uses climate models to explore the impact of human emissions on the atmosphere and the wider Earth system.

“I am particularly interested in understanding how stratospheric ozone is projected to change in the future,” he said.

“At the moment, I am co-leading a research team exploring how stratospheric ozone is transported into the troposphere, the impacts this has on tropospheric chemistry, climate, and human health, and how this transport may change in the future.

“I also help to develop the next generation of Earth system models for use in international assessments, including the IPCC Assessment Reports and the World Meteorological Organization’s Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion.”

James said that everyone at LEC had been incredibly welcoming and have helped get him started.

“There’s a lot to take in,” he added, “and I still frequently get lost when walking around the building, but I’m very happy to be here!”

In his spare time, James is an avid sports fan, keen reader, and enjoys travelling, and said he is eager to explore the Lake District and countryside around Lancaster.