Profile
Mr Ned Williams
Postgraduate
Telephone: 01392 722251
Extension: (Streatham) 2251
I am a postgraduate researcher within Exeter Climate Systems (XCS) and I have been at the University since starting my PhD in September 2020. My research focuses on tropical-extratropical teleconnections and I am supervised by Adam Scaife and James Screen. My research project is funded as part of the NERC GW4+ Doctoral Training Partnership and I am working in conjuction with the Met Office.
The core aim of my research is to understand whether high resolution climate models can improve forecast skill relative to current operational climate models, particularly on the seasonal time scale. While it is known that higher resolution models will lead to some improvement in prediction, the complexity of the Earth's climate system means that the extent of that improvement is difficult to understand. A notable factor which is not well understood is the so-called signal-to-noise paradox in climate predictions, which is integral to my PhD research.
A major focus of my PhD concerns systematic errors in modelled teleconnections from the El Niño-Southern Oscillation to the North Pacific and North Atlantic. In 2023 my first paper on this topic, focusing on seasonal predictions from models within the C3S multi-system, was published in Geophysical Research Letters.
I helped to organise the Royal Meteorological Society's 2022 Student and Early Career conference, and I am a co-chair of the organising committee for 2023. I am a member of the Royal Meteorological Society's Youth and Early Career special interest group. I was a finalist in the 2022 STEM for Britain competition, which allowed me to present my work in Parliament. I was also a finalist in the 2022 Institute of Physics 3 Minute Wonder contest, which involved a short form presentation in front of an expert panel and a non-expert audience at the Royal Institution. In 2021, I took part in a nationwide CMIP6 Hackathon which has led to a continuing research project on the effect of climate change on arctic terns. In 2022, I was fortunate to attend a summer school on Tropical Oceans, ENSO and their teleconnections, which allowed me to expand my understanding of topics such as the internal ocean dynamics of ENSO and the South Asian Monsoon, as well as those which are an integral part of my PhD.
Prior to joining the University of Exeter, I obtained an MPhys Physics degree at the University of Southampton, with a final year project within the Space Environment Physics group.
I am keen to continue a research career in climate dynamics after my PhD, which is scheduled for completion in 2024.
Publications:
Williams, N., A.A. Scaife & J.A. Screen, 2023: Underpredicted ENSO teleconnections in seasonal forecasts. Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 50, Issue 5, DOI:10.1029/2022GL101689
Morten, J., P. Buchanan, C. Egevang, I. Glissenaar, S. Maxwell, N. Parr, J.A. Screen, F. Vigfusdottir, N. Vogt-Vincent, D. Williams, N. Williams, M. Witt, W. Thurston, & L. Hawkes, 2023: Global warming and Arctic Terns: estimating climate change impacts on the world's longest migration. Global Change Biology, submitted.
Postgraduate Teaching Assistant responsibilities:
Current:
NSC1002 Mathematics and Computing (2021-22, 2022-23)
MTH1003 Mathematical Modelling (2022-23)
Previous:
ECM1416 Computational Mathematics (2020-21)
MTH2004 Vector Calculus and Applications (2020-21)
MTH2005 Modelling: Theory and Practice (2020-21, 2021-22)