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Dr. Stewart Jennings

Dr. Stewart Jennings

  • Position: Senior Research Fellow
  • Areas of expertise: Climate change impacts; crop modelling; integrated assessment frameworks
  • Email: S.A.Jennings@leeds.ac.uk

Profile

I studied Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford from 2008-2011 and completed a MSc in Quantitative Biology from Imperial College London in 2013. I started my PhD at the University of Leeds in 2013, working on the abiotic and biotic impacts of climate change on potato yields globally.

I started working on the GCRF-AFRICAP (Agricultural and Food-system Resilience: Increasing Capacity and Advising Policy) project in 2018 as a crop modeller. This project combined on-farm monitoring, laboratory research and policy analysis to enhance the development of climate smart agri-food systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The work featured four focal countries: Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa. My role in the project was crop-climate modelling, land use and livestock modelling, and stakeholder-driven participatory scenario work.

I currently work on the modelling components of the ClimBeR project (Building Systemic Resilience Against Climate Variability and Extremes; https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/climate-resilience/) in partnership with the CGIAR to deliver science and innovation for transforming food, land, and water systems in the face of climate change, and the HiFi project, exploring how to increase the fibre content of UK wheat (https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FW01792X%2F1).

Research interests

I work principally on crop modelling using the General Large Area model for annual crops (GLAM) in conjunction with a range of other models and methods to create integrated assessment frameworks. I have previously focused on potato modelling with GLAM but now study a range of crops in sub-Saharan Africa, including maize, soybean, and groundnut. I also work on yield projections for major UK crops.

In the past my work has also featured analyses of climate change impacts on pest and diseases, as well as the differences in model skill when using different levels of parameter detail and spatial scales of input data.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked 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>

Research groups and institutes

  • Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science
<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>