I started my research career at University of Oxford, where I became fascinated in climate change and the dynamics of a changing atmosphere. I was particularly intrigued by tropical and African climate systems. I wanted my research to help address climate change, and decided to focus my PhD on investigating the implications of specific global mitigation goals for African climate systems. This work was designed to inform international policy decisions about how much to limit global warming. Years later, policy makers invited scientists to prepare a report comparing 1.5°C and 2°C of global warming, and my work made a small contribution to this impressive global scientific effort.

Following my PhD, I was a Research Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford. There I became interested in the possible application of climate change attribution science for emerging policy discussions on “Loss and Damage” from climate change. This led me to more interdisciplinary research, including interviewing stakeholders to better understand their view of the policy context and where science might be relevant. I also continued my work into African climate, as part of the Future Climate for Africa programme, focusing on changes in southern African weather systems, particularly tropical-temperate cloud bands, and developing information for agriculture and water resource planning in Malawi and Tanzania. This research was co-led by University of Cape Town (UCT), and I was privileged to spend 18 months at UCT as a Visiting Researcher.

In 2018 I began a Career Development Fellowship at St John’s College, Oxford, where I continued my research on African climate, climate change adaptation, and Loss and Damage, and led an initiative to develop a Climate Model Evaluation Hub for Africa, with colleagues from universities in Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa.