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Dr Emily Dowd

Dr Emily Dowd

  • Position: Research Fellow
  • Areas of expertise: Methane; Chemical Transport Modelling; Earth Observation
  • Email: E.Dowd@leeds.ac.uk

Profile

I am a Research Fellow in the TOMCAT Atmospheric Chemistry Modelling Group based in the School of Earth and Environment’s Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science.

I completed my PhD at the University of Leeds in 2024. My thesis focused on analysing atmospheric methane across different spatial and temporal scales. Before my PhD, I graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MPhys Physics with Meteorology and worked as a Maritime Meteorologist.

My research focuses on using satellite data and chemical transport models to investigate changes in atmospheric methane. During my PhD I was trained across a wide range of Earth Observation techniques through the SENSE CDT. I have experience in using the chemical transport model, TOMCAT, and satellite data to investigate global and local changes in atmospheric methane. I also have experience in combining hyperspectral data from GHGSat’s satellite constellation, surface-based observations and the Met Office’s Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment (NAME) to validate satellite derived emission estimates of a point source. I am currently working on the EO4CH4 project which aims to use Earth Observation to support the reduction of methane emissions from agriculture in Australia.

Alongside my research, I am the co-founder of an outreach programme called SatSchool. SatSchool aims to introduce key Earth Observation concepts to 11-15 year olds by providing ready-made outreach materials which researchers can take into schools. This project has reached over 7000 students across the UK and continues to provide outreach in schools.

Research interests

  • Atmospheric methane
  • Chemical Transport modelling and model development
  • Earth Observation – including:
    • Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI
    • GHGSat
    • IASI

Qualifications

  • PhD: Analysis of Atmospheric Methane Across Different Spatial and Temporal Scales
  • MPhys Physics with Meteorology

Student education

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Research groups and institutes

  • Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science