World-leading Environment research at Reading
Environmental research is centre-stage at the University of Reading. Two hundred academics, and hundreds of postdoctoral researchers and PhD students come together within our Environment theme to explore, understand, and address the challenges of environmental changes, both natural and those shaped by humans.
Research Divisions
Some recent highlights of our world-class research include:
Energy demand solutions proposed in new government report: Actions that could change consumer energy habits in the transition to a net-zero carbon UK have been proposed in a new report involving Reading urban energy demand researchers. The report, written by the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS), is intended to strengthen and deliver the commitments in the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy.
Flood forecasts put aid in place ahead of Cyclone Idai: A day before Cyclone Idai hit the coast of Mozambique in April 2019, humanitarian aid – clean water, blankets, emergency shelter – had already been put in place. Research led by Dr Liz Stephens contributed to advanced flood forecasting systems, giving enough lead time for humanitarian agencies to secure money and buy and distribute aid before disaster struck.
Climate tipping points: Humanity must be wary of breaching a ‘point of no return’ that leads to ecological disaster such as loss of rainforests or irreversible climate change, according to a detailed study by Reading mathematics and climate science researchers. Exploring the thin line separating the Earth’s current climate from a frozen one – the so-called snowball state - they analysed how random events and human action could combine to reach a ‘tipping point’, where one natural state transitions to a very different one. The findings can be applied to the Earth’s climate, landscape features or ecosystems to aid our understanding of how they can be altered or destroyed after reaching a point of no return.
Top UK university for environment and wildlife research: The University of Reading has been ranked as the number one UK university for citations in environmental and ecological research by InCites, illustrating the outstanding quality of work carried out by our scientists. The InCites Essential Science Indicators rankings, which scores institutions based on academically influential published research papers, placed Reading as the UK’s best university and ranked us 59th in the world out of 956 institutions.
Helping islands switch to green energy: Island states are to use data from Reading’s Institute for Environmental Analytics (IEA) to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. RE-SAT, a renewable energy analytics platform, will be introduced in Montserrat, Palau, St Lucia, Tonga, Mauritius and Vanuatu, backed by £2.9m from the UK Space Agency International Partnership Programme. RE-SAT brings together satellite and in-situ weather data with advanced analytics to help users explore the best renewable energy mix, plan where to locate infrastructure and estimate variability of power generation by taking into account seasonal weather patterns.
Impact of WW2 bombs felt at the edge of space: Bombing raids by Allied forces during the Second World War sent shockwaves through Earth’s atmosphere big enough to weaken the ionosphere (the electrified upper atmosphere) above the UK, according to Reading research.
Plastic pollution takes to the skies: Reading research has shown that tiny fragments of plastic eaten by water-dwelling larvae of flying insects - such as mosquitoes - are retained inside the adult insect during metamorphosis, giving plastic pollution a new pathway into the environment.
Cloudiness and climate change: Global warming is accelerating as time passes. Models predict that trend is set to continue even if we manage to rein in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere – but why? Dr Paulo Ceppi's research shows that it's down to increasingly cloudless skies over the Pacific Ocean.
Weather and crops: A system for estimating rainfall is directly benefiting the lives of 250 million people across Africa. TAMSAT(Tropical Application of Meteorology using Satellite data and ground-based observations) provides early warning of potential food shortage crises by integrating data sources to better identify weather patterns likely to result in low crop yields. In January 2018, after a dry spell, millions of farmers in Zambia benefited from insurance pay-outs thanks to TAMSAT data.
Read the latest news and blogs from our Environment research theme and find out about upcoming research events at the University of Reading:
Latest Environment theme blog posts
We collaborate with the very best researchers and users of research, nationally and internationally. These partnerships better enable us to play a critical role in tackling environmental challenges and provide solutions that are both adoptable and adopted.
We work closely with organisations such as:
Natural Environment Research Council centres, including hosting parts of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS)and the National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)
UK Meteorological Office – including through the Met Office Academic Partnership
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
UK Government Departments, BEIS, Defra, Cabinet Office, DfID and their agencies
Businesses such as Syngenta, Bayer, National Grid
International space agencies
We have several centres of research and facilities focusing on specific environmental issues, including:
Institute for Environmental Analytics – translating environmental research into commercially-relevant solutions.
Walker Institute – an interdisciplinary research institute supporting the development of climate-resilient societies.
Soil Research Centre – tackling the decline in soil health and quality.
Centre for Past Climate Change – quantifying historical climate change and seeking to understand the co-evolution of human society and environment.
Data Assimilation Research Centre – theory and applications in all areas of the geosciences.
Water@Reading – providing flood, drought and water-quality monitoring, forecasting and early-warning systems, in the UK and abroad
Land Surface Processes cluster – uses computer simulations and observations to study interactions between the land and atmosphere.
Chemical Analysis Facility – open-access analytical instrumentation, and advice on access to external facilities, such as beamlines.
Cole Museum of Zoology – University museum and collections relating to zoology and natural history.
Agrimetrics – The world's first Big Data Centre of Excellence for the whole agri-food industry.
Technologies for Sustainable Built Environments (TSBE) – bringing together academic and industry partners for applied research in built environment and energy.
Want to join some of the world's leading environmental researchers, with a fully-funded PhD research studentship at the University of Reading? We have PhD positions available starting in September 2019.
For information on postgraduate research opportunities within the Environment Theme, please visit our research division pages or the Graduate School's website.
PhD studentships in Mathematics of Planet Earth (closing date 28 June 2019)
Scenario Doctoral Training Programme
Mathematics of Planet Earth Centre for Doctoral Training
Quantitative and Modelling Skills in Ecology and Evolution (QMEE)
Research Dean, Environment
Email: p.p.newton@reading.ac.uk
Working with your organisation
Your organisation can benefit from our work through the University's innovation front door.
Email: frontdoor@reading.ac.uk
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