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Dr Ben Maybee

Dr Ben Maybee

  • Position: Research Fellow in Tropical Meteorology
  • Areas of expertise: Atmospheric dynamics; deep convection; physics of Mesoscale Convective Systems; convective scale-interactions; km-scale atmospheric models
  • Email: B.W.Maybee@leeds.ac.uk
  • Location: 11.06 Priestley Building
  • Website: | LinkedIn | Googlescholar | ORCID

Profile

I am a postdoctoral researcher based in the School of Earth and Environment, interested in all aspects of atmospheric dynamics. My research focus is the dynamics and prediction of deep convection and its associated hazards, particularly related to Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) in kilometre-scale atmospheric models.

Topics of particular interest are the physics of controls on MCS convective strength; feedbacks between MCS and their local environment, and resulting impacts on downstream processes such as tropical cyclogenesis; and diagnosing upscale impacts of explicit deep convection in km-scale models. Some of my research is discussed in a recorded NCAR seminar (youtube); my original research background was high energy physics.

Research interests

My primary role is as part of the NERC Huracan collaboration (project website), in which I am investigating the impact of mesoscale convective interactions on Atlantic basin tropical cyclone genesis. I am also a member of the Met Office UPSCALE project diagnosing upscale impacts of resolving convection in global km-scale models; and the Met Office DRENCH project (part of WCSSP India) investigating the physics of Indian monsoon depressions.

Previous projects:

  • NERC Land Impacts on Mesoscale Convective Systems (LMCS) project, investigating the influence of land-surface variability on the dynamics of MCSs in models and observations.
  • As part of LMCS, contributor to global intercomparison of MCS tracking algorithms (MCSMIP).
  • iCASP Enhanced Surface Water Flood Forecasting, testing enhanced SWF flood forecasts in a Yorkshire testbed and conducting forecast verification over Northern England.
  • Impact of the Madden-Julian oscillation on interannual variability of East African rainfall, supported by the HyCristal project.

Qualifications

  • PhD, Theoretical Particle Physics, The University of Edinburgh
  • MPhys, BSc Theoretical Physics, University of Leeds

Professional memberships

  • Institute of Physics
  • Royal Meteorological Society

Student education

I joint-supervise PhD, MSc and MRes projects with academic staff, and am always open to supervising projects related to topics I work on.

Research groups and institutes

  • Atmospheric and Cloud Dynamics
  • Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science