Dr Ieuan Higgs
-
Lecturer in Computer Science
Specialism
- AI and Explainability for Earth System Modelling
- CS Hackathon Coordinator
- Editor for DARC Blog: https://research.reading.ac.uk/met-darc/news-and-events/darc-blogs/
- Co-director for HAWC (Hub for Applied Weather and Climate)
Office
Room 156Building location
Polly VacherAreas of interest
- AI for Earth system modelling
- Machine learning
- Explainable AI in regression systems
- Data assimilation and dynamical systems
Teaching
- MSc Big Data and Cloud Computing
Background
I am a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Reading, a position I took up in 2025. My route here has spanned both industry and academia — after completing my undergraduate degree in Computer Science with an Industrial Placement Year at Reading (2015–2019), I worked as a software engineer before returning to academia to pursue a PhD in the Department of Meteorology (2021–2025), integrating AI into data assimilation algorithms. I then held a postdoctoral position working collaboratively across the Met Office, the Department of Computer Science, and the Department of Meteorology.
My research sits at the intersection of computer science and earth system science, with a particular focus on AI, explainability, and data assimilation. I am motivated by real-world problems in the environmental sciences that demand genuinely novel computational solutions, where the application informs methodology, and where there is meaningful potential for impact.
Academic qualifications
- PhD: Machine learning and data driven methods to improve data assimilation in marine biogeochemical models
- BSc Computer Science with Industrial Placement Year: 1st class
Professional bodies/affiliations