Dr Steven Dobbie

Dr Steven Dobbie

Profile

Recent employment 

  • Associate Professor: Atmospheric Physics, University of Leeds
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UMIST/University of Manchester 

School roles

  • 2019-               Assessment Lead, School of Earth and Environment
  • 2014-2017       Deputy Head of School of Earth and Environment. 
  • 2010-2014       Director of the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science (ICAS)
  • 2007-2010       Co-Director of ICAS

School and other activities 

  • 2022-               External Examiner for proposed Environmental Analytics, University of Malaysia, Kalantan, Malaysia
  • 2019-               Faculty of Enviornment Assessment and Standards Group
  • 2019-               Chair of Internal UG and PGT Marks and Classification Boards
  • 2019-               Chair of School Special Circumstances Committee
  • 2019-               SEE OTL/Exam Scruity Lead
  • 2019                University QAT Working Group on Marking and Classifications
  • 2018-               External Examiner, University of Birmingham for Env Science
  • 2017-2019       Creation of 2+2 link with Southwest Petroleum University, China
  • 2015-2017       Creator and lead of the Environmental Science Academy. 
  • 2012-2015       NERC DTP Advisory Group
  • 2014-               Committee Head of Environmental Science
  • 2010-2013       University SGSA committee member
  • 2007-2010       NERC College Member. Panel member for almost all grant calls.
  • 2007-2008       Development of the ICAS Strategy
  • 2007-2008       Development of new integrated maters with year abroad for MEnv Env Sci, MEnv Env Mgt, and MEnv Met & Atm Sci
  • 2007-2014       Study Abroad Coordinator for Environment

Past research grants 

  • FRGS/2020 Co-I, Land-atmosphere interactions and influence on hydroclimate of Kelantan, 83,200 RM. 
  • NERC/S017364/1 Co-I, Smart Systems Approaches for Climate Resilient Livestock Production, £251,557
  • NERC/I013466/1 Co-I, Quantifying the efficiency with which biological particles nucleate ice, £342,553
  • NERC/I020059/1 Co-I, ACID-PRUF, Aerosol-Cloud Interactions, £684,009
  • NERC/I028858/1 Co-I, ACCACIA: Aerosol-Cloud Coupling And Climate Interactions in the Arctic, £269,481
  • NERC/G005109/1 Co-I, Standard Round Grant,Contrails Spreading into Cirrus (COSIC), £304,695
  • NERC/H02168X/1 Co-I, ASCOS analysis - surface coupling in the arctic boundary layer, £316,658
  • ERC, Co-I on Ben Murray’s ERC Fellowship (5 years at 10% of time), €1.66 Mil
  • NERC/2002/00127, PI, New Investigator’s Research Grant. Effects of shear on the structure of cirrus clouds, £50,976
  • NERC/2000/00983,  PI of subcontract from UMIST/Co-PI, CWVC Thematic Programme, Radiative Properties of inhomogeneous cirrus clouds, £97,400

Awards/ HonoraryPosts

  • 2007-2010                   NERC Peer Review College
  • 2007                             NERC Services Review Group
  • 2004                             Chair of GCSS WG2 (cirrus clouds intercomparison)
  • 1999                             Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society (FRMetS)
  • ’92-94 & 96-‘99            Dalhousie Graduate Scholarship Recipient.

Responsibilities

  • SEE Assessment Lead

Research interests

The Earth-Atmosphere system must be understood to make accurate projections of future climate and impacts. My research focuses on atmospheric processes and the impacts of climate change on crops. In the area of atmospheric processes, I seek to improve our understanding and parameterisation of atmospheric processes involving atmospheric particles, dynamics, and radiation. I investigate the consequences of changing climate and processes on food production through assessing crop yields and failures. In this area, I am most interested in the effects of extreme climate events on crops.    

Current research projects:

  • Modelling of crops in Asia under various climate scenarios and evaluation of impacts such as crop failure rates due to changing climate.
  • Evaluation of climate geoengineering to address climate change.   
  • The effects of atmospheric desert dust on the stability of the marine atmospheric layer. 
  • Evaluating the thermodynamic impact of climate change on convection and radiative properties. 

We are currently advertising for a PhD student funded through the London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme (LIDo) 

I have interest in supervising new projects in the following areas:

  1. Atmospheric processes involving particles and radiation
  2. Climate extremes
  3. Climate impacts on crop yields and failure rates
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • PhD, Dalhousie University
  • MSc, Dalhousie University
  • BSc, University of Toronto

Professional memberships

  • FRMSoc

Student education

Teaching: 

I teach two modules, Weather and Advanced Mathematices 2.   The Weather module is an exciting introduction to atmosphere science and forecasting for those student wishing to understand more about what influences our weather and prediction, as well as understanding the proceses and approximations that are involved in influencing climate change.    In addition to Weather, I enjoy teaching multi-dimensional calculus to undergraduate students from a broad range of programmes including meteorology, environmental science, geophysics, geology, etc.  

Administrative role: 

I am the School of Earth and Enviornment Academic Lead.   I oversee a team of two deputies and support staff and ensure that student assessment is accurate, equitable and representative of students abiities.  My team ensures academic standards of assessment are met and develop a strategic way forward for assessment to deal with changing assessment conditions.    We evaluate students in our School regarding degree classifications for both undergraduate and masters cohorts.   In addition to the academic quality assurance, we have academic oversight for student support, including running the School Special Circumstances Committee and working closely with QAT and Student Cases.   We have very strong ties with the Student Education Service (SES) on all matters relating to assessment and student support.   

Current research group members:                                

  • Jingru Liu (PhD Student)
  • Dominik Maczik, LIDo funded (PhD Student) in collbaoration with Greenwich University

Past research group members:      

  • Dr Mohammed Abed (PhD Student)
  • Dr Becky Jansen (PhD Student) 
  • Dr Mae Leong (PhD student)
  • Dr Huiyi Yang (Research Fellow/Visitor)          
  • Dr John Marsham (Research Fellow)
  • Dr Ross Herbert (PhD student)                          
  • Dr Sat Ghosh (Research Fellow)
  • Dr Tom Pleavin (PhD student)                          
  • Dr Gourihar Kulkarni (PhD graduate)
  • Dr Sardar Al-Jumur (PhD student)                    
  • Dr Adrian Hill (PhD graduate)
  • Dr Theo Wilson (PhD student)                          
  • Dr Clare Allen (PhD graduate) 
  • Dr Jim Atkinson (PhD student)                        
  • Dr Huiyi Yang (PhD graduate) 
  • Dr Innocent Kudzotsa (PhD student)                 
  • Mr Jamie Clayton (MRes graduate)
  • Dr Thomas Whale (PhD student)                       
  • Mr Dan Tang (MRes graduate)
  • Dr Dan Tang (PhD graduate)

Research groups and institutes

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

Current postgraduate researchers

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>