School of Earth and Environment
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Dr Vaughan Phillips

Lecturer: Meteorology

Telephone number: +44(0) 113 34 36429
Email address: V.Phillips@leeds.ac.uk
Room: 10.109

Biography

I obtained my PhD a decade ago in the area of detailed modeling of clouds at the Unversity of Manchester.  During my PhD I constructed the Explicit Microphysics Model (EMM).  This is a spectral (bin) microphysics model, a useful tool to analyse microphysical processes in storms.  

I extended my experience in creating various types of cloud models during my post-doctoral work at Princeton University and as a lecturer at University of Hawaii in the USA.  At Hawaii, I wrote grant proposals that won awards from US federal funding agencies.  The awards fund a research student and post-doctoral scholar to investigate aerosol influences on cold cloud properties and on lightning.  

This year I returned to England to commence work as a Lecturer at Leeds.  I recently won another award to support a research student at Leeds.

 

 

 

Qualifications

Manchester University/UMIST, UK
     Ph. D. in Atmospheric Physics, 2001
              Thesis title: “Simulations of the Glaciation of a New Mexican Storm Cloud with an Explicit Microphysics Model (EMM)”   

Paris University VI, France
     D.E.A. (Advanced M.S.) in Meteorology, Oceanography and the Environment, 1997

Reading University, UK
     M.S. in Weather, Climate and Modeling, 1993

Bristol University, UK
     B.S. in Physics, with Honors, 1990

Research Interests

My research is focussed on clouds and the control of their properties and dynamics by the environment.   My aim is to extend my past investigations of aerosol influences on thunderstorm electrification, as well as on the radiative properties and ice mycrophysics of cold clouds.   In particular, I have been working closely with observationalists to try to treat nucleation of cloud-particles by aerosols, including primary biological aerosols.  I have also studied the relative roles of different nucleation mechanisms for conversion of aerosols to cloud-particles in various clouds.  Ice multiplication, and the possibility of overlooked mechanisms for it, is a current interest.

Teaching Interests

I have taught a diverse range of courses over the last decade at Universities of Leeds, Hawaii and Princeton.  Physical meteorology, especially cloud physics, were the topics at Princeton University and at University of Hawaii that I spent the most time teaching.   Currently I am teaching these courses at Leeds:

  • “Practical Weather Forecasting SOEE3700” (Autumn 2011)
  • “Meteorology SOEE2092” (Autumn 2011)
  • “Atmospheric Science Field Skills SOEE3291” (Autumn 2011)

Publications