HARRISON, Sandy P.
Title: Director Centre for Past Climate Change and Professor of Palaeoclimates and Biogeochemical Cycles
Address: School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading
Tel: +44 118 378 5258
Email: s.p.harrison@reading.ac.uk
Education Background:
1991 Docent in Physical Geography, Uppsala University
1988 Ph.D. (fil.dr) in Quaternary Geology, Lund University
1982 M.A. (Cantab.)
1980 M.Sc. (Hons.) in Quaternary Geomorphology, Macquarie University, Australia
1976 B.A. (Hons.) in Geography, Newnham College, University of Cambridge, UK
Previous Work Experience: 2009-2014: Professor, Ecology and Evolution Centre for Research Excellence, Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia; 2006-2010: Professor of Climate Dynamics, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol; 2003-2006: Reader in Physical Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol; 1997-2003: C3 Professor and Leader of the Palaeoclimate Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
Research Interests:
Role of the land-surface, terrestrial biosphere and hydrological processes in modulating regional climates, past, present and future; Global vegetation modelling, with a specific emphasis on fire disturbance and vegetation emissions; analysis of plant traits with respect to climate, as a tool for developing improved representations of plant-functional types in global vegetation models; benchmarking of vegetation-model simulations; Reconstruction of past climate and environmental changes at continental to global scales; use of reconstructions in conjunction with climate-model experiments to diagnose the mechanisms of past climate and environmental changes; benchmarking of climate-model simulations.
Professional Activities:
Chair of International Council of Science World Data System (ICSU-WDS); Member Inter-Academy Partnership (IAP) Project Committee on “Improving Scientific Input to Global Policymaking: Strategies for Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals”; Co-chair of the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project; Co-Chair, ACER (Abrupt Climate Change and Environmental Responses); Member, PAGES LandCover6k project
