Shovonlal Roy
-
+44 (0) 118 378 8944
-
Associate Professor
- Research Division Leader (RDL) for Environmental Science
- Marine Ecosystem Science Research Group (MarES) Lead at SAGES
- UG and PG teaching, including Quantative Analysis of Data in Environmental Science; Ecosystems Modelling
- Research supervisor of PhD, PGT and UG students
- Academic tutor of UG and PG students
Areas of interest
- Satellite remote sensing and bio-optical modelling
- Satellite remote sensing applications to fish dynamics and fisheries
- Dynamical systems, ecological modelling, eco-evolutionary dynamics
- Biogeochemical modelling and remote sensing of ocean carbon and bio-diversity
- Data assimilation in ecosystem models
Postgraduate supervision
PhD Projects
- Climate change and harmful algal growth using laboratory experiments, satellite remote sensing and biogeochemical modelling. 2020- Lead supervisor (Ongoing)
- A model of ocean biogeochemistry with allelopathy as a driving force of phytoplankton dynamics and biodiversity. 2020- Lead supervisor (Ongoing)
- Assessing the evolution of supraglacial lakes and their effects on glacier melt in the High Mountain Asia using remote sensing, UoR International Studentship award, 2022- Co-supervisor (Ongoing)
- Energy transfer in marine ecosystems based on phytoplankton size structure from satellite remote sensing. NERC-SCENARIO DTP with CASE from CEFAS studentship 2018-2023 Lead Supervisor. (Completed)
- Marine biogeochemical model with explicit representation of phytoplankton functional types. Bakrie Centre Foundation International studentship 2015-2019. Lead supervisor. (Completed)
- Individual-based model of North Sea fish using satellite remote sensing. NERC-SCENARIO DTP with CASE from CEFAS studentship 2015-2018. Lead supervisor. (Completed)
- Predicting the numbers and location of seabass for sustainable management. NERC-SCENARIO DTP with CASE from CEFAS studentship 2017-2021. Co-supervisor. (Completed )
- Parameter estimation and inverse problem for reactive transport modes in bioirrigated sediments. NERC-SCENARIO DTP studentship 2015-2019. Co-supervisor. (Completed).
- Amazonia and the 6k Drought. University of Reading PhD Studentship 2014-2018. Co-supervisor. (Completed).
- Amazonia under mid-holocene drought. NERC-SCENARIO DTP - PhD studentship 2014-2018. Co-supervisor. (Completed).
- Assessment of the hydrological status of Iraq using a combination of remote sensing and drought indices . International PhD studentship 2014-2017. Co-supervisor. (Completed).
Post-doctoral Projects
- Phytoplankton Carbon from Space (2024-2025)
- Machine learning and satellite remote sensing of ocean (2023-2024)
- Lake water acidification and temperature effects on Aquatic quillworts (2015-2016)
- Alleopathic effects on Phytoplankton dynamics (2014-2015)
- Modelling alleopathic effects of phytoplankton (2018)
Research Highlights
- “Why are animals the size they are?” Newstalk Futureproof (2024)
- “A new evolutionary theory could explain the mystery of shrinking animals”, Popular Science (2024)
- “Why big animals are getting smaller” Deutsche Welle (2024)
- “Une nouvelle théorie de l’évolution explique pourquoi les animaux rétrécissent” Sciences et Avenir (2024)
- “Island Lizards Shrink and Horses Get Bigger Because of These Evolutionary Patterns”, Discover Magazine (2024)
- “Shrinking Evolution: Ecology Influences Animal Size” Neuroscience News (2024)
- “Shrinking giants: Unraveling the evolution of animal size” Earth Dot Com (2024)
- “Measuring ocean biological carbon from space”, University of Reading (2023)
- “Sustainable underwater ecosystems supported by Reading research”, University of Reading (2021)
- “Why we should lift lockdown to help prepare for a more deadly winter second wave” Daily Mail (2020)
- “Nutrition study reveals instability in world’s most important fishing regions” Phys.org (2018)
Research centres and groups
Research projects
- European Space Agency (€950K) “Satellite-based observations of Carbon in the Ocean: Pools, fluxes and Exchanges (SCOPE) ” Co-investigator and WP Lead on Phytoplankton Carbon, 2023-2025.
- RETF 2023 (£37K) “Tracking food quality at the bottom of marine food webs using machine learning and satellite remote-sensing”, Principal Investigator, 2023-2024.
- Space for Climate (£75K), “Opportunities for Earth Observation technology to assist the regulatory framework in UK industrial methane gas monitoring”, Academic co-lead in WPs, 2023-2024.
- NERC and Innovate UK – Research Project (£220K): "Knowledge Transfer Partnership grant between The University of Reading & Armajaro Asset Management LLP", Co-Investigator, 2015–2018.
- Royal Society of London (£12K) : “Marine autotrophic biodiversity combining ocean colour and molecular genetics”, Principal Investigator, 2017-2020
- European Space Agency (€250K) : "Pools of Carbon in the Ocean (POCO)", Co-Investigator, 2015-2017.
- HEFCE project 2016: "Data Driven Free-School Fishing", demonstration project jointly with the Institute for Environmental Analytics University of Reading and Sainsbury's.
Background
- Shovon is an ecosystem modeller, specialising in satellite remote sensing applications to ecosystems. His has been leading interdisciplinary research, funded nationally and internationally, by research councils and charities, e.g. the Royal Society of London, the European Space Agency, the Natural Environment Research Council UK, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Partnership of Observation of Global Oceans, the Nippon Foundation of Japan.
- Shovon is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. He has been serving on the editorial board of several scientific journals: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution - Associate Editor (2022 -present); Remote Sensing in Earth Systems Sciences, Associate Editor (2016-present); Remote Sensing for Ecology and Conservation – Associate Editor (2014-2017); Frontiers in Marine Science, Review Editor (2014- present).
- Shovon has been leading and contributing to international collaborations, most recently as Visiting Professor at the Kasetsart University in Thailand (2025-26) and University of Philippines Visayas (2025-26); and previously, as a Visiting Academic at Princeton University (2017, 2019); as an Associate Researcher at Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (2016); and as invited member of the Scientific Committee for Mathematical Models in Ecology and Evolution (MMEE, 2022-present), GEO-BON WG on Ecosystem Function (2016-2018), GEO Blue Planet WG on EO for Water-Associated Diseases, (2018) and International Satellite Phytoplankton Functional Types (2012-2014) .
- Shovon obtained a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics, an MSc in Applied Mathematics and a PhD in ecological modelling using non-linear dynamics. Prior to joining the University of Reading, he worked at different research and academic institutes including the Indian Statistical Institute, International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, Austria, the University of Manchester, UK, the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada, the University of Oxford and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK
Earlier publications
Complete list of peer-reviewed publications by Shovonlal Roy can be found here.