William McFarlane Smith

I use computer simulations to study methods of geoengineering that involve clouds, namely marine cloud brightening and cirrus cloud thinning. Mathematical modelling of geoengineering is a key componet in developing our understanding of it. Clouds, in particular, are challenging to model because they do not exist on a single scale; they are influenced by microscopic particles in the air but also by planetary-scale circulation patterns and everything in between. They also influence different aspects of the atmosphere across these scales in complex, coupled relationships. The majority of my research is focussed on modelling the marine cloud brightening in large eddy simulations and comparing the results across models.

I first became involved in geoengineering research during my masters' degree at the University of Exeter, where I wrote my dissertation on stratospheric aerosol injection. Before that, I studied Natural Sciences at the University of Nottingham.