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Rob Thompson

Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Meteorology, University of Reading
I'm a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Reading, currently doing research into rainfall measurement, looking at how we measure rainfall, its accuracy and usefulness, particularly for flood producing rainfall.

Most of my work has been in using dual-polarisation weather radar to get improved rainfall rates - often paired with disdrometers and rain gauges, and dealing with the issues they have during the heavy rains that matter the most, working on problems such as attenuation, beam blocking, the radar bright band and drop size distribution changes. Recent work is moving towards the measurement of rainfall from space on A new technique for measuring global rainfall. Previous work has been under a number of projects, most notably the NERC funded FFIR (Flooding From Intense Rainfall) programme.

I've also spent a number of years as a teaching fellow, teaching abroad range of courses for post- and undergraduate students in meteorology and related disciplines. They have included, fundamentals of synoptic meteorology, hydrology, statistics and computer programming - and have visited and taught in China - where the University of Reading has a partnership with NUIST.

Finally I have done a lot of outreach as I think its really important that the science we do can reach a wide audience, I've visited many schools, given public talks, taken part in national science week, written in magazines and newspapers and appear on TV reasonably frequently.

Education:
2007 University of Reading, PhD Meteorology
2002 University of Reading, BSc (Hons.) Physics and Meteorology

Why forecasting snow is so difficult in the UK

Jan 25, 2023 04:39 am UTC| Nature

Cold winter weather in the UK almost always brings with it talk of snow. British people tend to approach weather forecasts of snow with a combination of excitement and trepidation. Who doesnt like the sight of unspoilt...

Economy

European Stocks Flat as Novo Nordisk Gains Offset Tech Losses

European stocks remained flat in early trading Wednesday, as gains in healthcare were counterbalanced by a decline in technology stocks. The pan-European STOXX 600 index edged down 0.07% at 0810 GMT. Novo Nordisk...

Japan's Service Sector Expands for Third Month Amid Strong Export Demand

Japans service industry continued to grow in January, supported by a rebound in export demand across Asia, according to the latest au Jibun Bank Services PMI report by SP Global Market Intelligence. The index rose to 53.0...

Trump's Bold Moves: A New Era in U.S. Foreign Policy

Trumps Bold Moves: A New Era in U.S. Foreign Policy Overview of Trumps Speech and Iran Policy On February 4, 2025, President Donald Trump delivered an important speech after signing some executive orders in the Oval...

Asian Stocks Rebound as Trump Delays Tariffs on Canada and Mexico

Asian stocks surged on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed planned tariffs on Canada and Mexico, easing immediate trade war concerns. The delay provided a relief rally following Mondays steep declines...

China Hits Back with New Tariffs on U.S. Goods After Trump’s 10% Levy

Chinas finance ministry announced fresh tariffs on U.S. products on Tuesday, responding swiftly to a 10% tariff imposed by President Donald Trump on Chinese imports. The U.S. tariff, which took effect at 0501 GMT, marks...

Politics

Britain Pledges £55M to Strengthen Ukraine Amid War with Russia

British Foreign Minister David Lammy announced 55 million ($68.7 million) in additional financial aid to Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv on Wednesday. Lammy, in his second trip since assuming office, met with President...

Philippine Congress Endorses Impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte

The Philippine House of Representatives has endorsed an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The case now moves to the Senate, where 23 senators will...

Mexico Confident in Deal With U.S. to Avoid Tariffs Amid Border Disputes

Mexican officials expressed optimism about reaching an agreement with the U.S. before threatened tariffs take effect. President Donald Trump delayed imposing 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month, demanding stronger...

Trump Criticizes U.N., Cuts Engagement with Key Agencies

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the United Nations, calling it not well run but acknowledging its potential. He urged reforms, stating that the U.N. must improve its role in resolving global conflicts. While he...

Trump Expresses Willingness for Deal with Iran but Stresses Nuclear Restrictions

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is willing to negotiate a deal with Iran to improve relations but stressed that Tehran must not develop nuclear weapons. Speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump...

Science

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia

Picture this. Its a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike tonight could spark a fire that...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

Most of us trust scientists, shows a survey of nearly 72,000 people worldwide

Public trust in scientists is vital. It can help us with personal decisions on matters like health and provide evidence-based policymaking to assist governments with crises such as the COVID pandemic or climate change. In...

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon will need better boots − here’s why

The U.S.s return to the Moon with NASAs Artemis program will not be a mere stroll in the park. Instead it will be a perilous journey to a lunar location representing one of the most extreme environments in the solar...

Technology

DeepSeek AI Gains Momentum as Chinese Tech Giants Rally Behind It

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is making waves as domestic tech giants, from chipmakers to cloud providers, rally to support its AI models. Companies like Moore Threads and Hygon Information Technology, aiming to compete with...

Former Google Engineer Indicted for Stealing AI Trade Secrets for China

U.S. prosecutors have expanded charges against former Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) software engineer Linwei Leon Ding, accusing him of stealing AI trade secrets to benefit Chinese companies. The federal grand jury in San...

Honda-Nissan Merger Talks May Be Canceled, Boosting Stock Prices

Honda Motor Co. (TYO:7267) and Nissan Motor Co. (TYO:7201) shares surged on Wednesday after reports suggested they may abandon merger plans. Hondas stock rose 2.9%, while Nissan gained 4.3%. Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203)...

JD Vance to Attend AI Summit in Paris Amid U.S.-China Tech Competition

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is set to attend the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action (WA:ACT) Summit in Paris next week, according to a French diplomatic source. The visit comes as global competition in AI intensifies,...

Hong Kong Tech Stocks Rally on AI Optimism Despite U.S. Tariffs

Hong Kong-listed Chinese technology stocks surged as optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) advancements from companies like DeepSeek and Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) overshadowed concerns about new U.S. tariffs. DeepSeeks...