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Robyn Schofield

Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Environment and Sustainability), The University of Melbourne
I performed my PhD jointly at the School of Environmental Sciences at Auckland University and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research at Lauder, Central Otago, New Zealand looking at the vertical distribution of BrO (a ozone destroying radical) by conducting and inverting spectroscopic measurements made at both Lauder and Arrival Heights, Antarctica.

I then spent two years in Boulder, Colorado as a CIRES visiting fellow working at the NOAA Chemical Sciences Division looking at spectroscopy of clouds, aerosols, sulfur, nitrogen species in our atmosphere and at ozone trends.

Between 2006 and 2011 I worked at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam as a Humboldt visiting fellow looking at Polar ozone loss kinetics and then a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellow looking at tropical tropopause layer transport of chemical species to the stratosphere.

Since June 2011 I have been working at the School of Earth Sciences as part of the Climate and Weather Sciences Group at the University of Melbourne. From March 2014 I took up a lecturer for Climate System Science position. I am now an Associate Professor in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and since August 2021 the inaugural Associate Dean (Environment and Sustainability) within the Faculty of Science.

My current research interests are:
Spectroscopic observations of trace gas species
Radiative transfer modelling
Stratospheric ozone loss kinetics
Tropical tropopause layer processes driving stratospheric composition
Microphysical modelling
Coupled chemistry-climate modelling
Urban air quality and health
Airborne transmission and indoor air quality

Defunct satellites burning up in the atmosphere could damage the ozone layer. Here’s how

Jun 20, 2024 05:46 am UTC| Business

Communications companies such as Starlink plan to launch tens of thousands of satellites into orbit around Earth over the next decade or so. The growing swarm is already causing problems for astronomers, but recent...

Economy

Trump Imposes New US Tariffs on Drone Imports Over National Security Concerns

U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imported drones and drone components on Thursday, citing national security concerns and the countrys heavy reliance on foreign suppliers. Under a proclamation signed by...

Canada-US Trade Talks Gain Momentum Ahead of Aug. 19 Tariff Deadline

Canada-US trade negotiations are making positive progress as both countries push to reach an agreement before new U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports are scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19, according to a Canadian government...

Oil Prices Fall as U.S. Crude Inventories Surge and Hormuz Tensions Persist

Oil prices declined Thursday as unexpectedly large U.S. crude inventories, weaker global demand forecasts and continued tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz weighed on the market. Brent crude futures for October...

Gold Prices Retreat From Two-Month High as Softer Inflation Eases Fed Rate Hike Bets

Gold prices fell Thursday as investors took profits after bullion recently climbed to a fresh two-month high. Despite the pullback, softer U.S. inflation data continued to support the precious metal by reducing...

Wall Street Hits Record High as Softer Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears

Wall Street closed at a record high Thursday as softer U.S. producer inflation data reduced expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike, boosting technology stocks and pushing Treasury yields lower. The SP 500 gained 0.7%...

Politics

Israel Warned US of Alleged Iran Plot to Assassinate Trump

Israel repeatedly warned the United States over the past year that Iran may have been planning to assassinate President Donald Trump, although U.S. intelligence agencies were unable to independently verify several of the...

Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Island, Sparking Strong Protest From Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed island of Iturup on Thursday, triggering a sharp diplomatic protest from Japan amid longstanding tensions over the Kuril Islands. Known as Iturup in Russia and Etorofu...

Israeli Troops Enter Qusra Homes as West Bank Settler Siege Continues

Israeli troops took positions inside Palestinian homes in Qusra in the occupied West Bank on Thursday as families remained caught in a days-long siege involving Israeli settlers, according to the village mayor and...

North Korea Slams US-South Korea Drills, Vows Stronger Nuclear Deterrence

North Korea on Friday condemned upcoming U.S.-South Korea military drills, describing this years exercises as more provocative than those held in 2025 and warning of stronger measures to counter what it sees as growing...

Trump Orders U.S. Navy to Return to Steam Catapults for Aircraft Carriers

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to replace its electromagnetic aircraft launch systems with traditional steam catapults, marking a major shift in the technology used aboard the Navys newest aircraft...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Anthropic Eyes $6B Decart AI Acquisition Ahead of Mega IPO

Anthropic is reportedly in talks to acquire Nvidia-backed AI startup Decart AI as the Claude developer looks to expand its computing capabilities and address growing demand ahead of a potential public listing. Bloomberg...

Google Pushes Gemini AI Overhaul as Sergey Brin Targets Model Supremacy

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has stepped up efforts to accelerate development of the companys Gemini AI models as Alphabet battles OpenAI and Anthropic for leadership in artificial intelligence. Brin has reportedly urged...

Lenovo Revenue Surges 43% as AI Demand Drives Record First-Quarter Growth

Lenovo Group reported record first-quarter revenue as booming demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and AI-enabled devices fueled strong growth across its major businesses, pushing its Hong Kong-listed shares...

Cisco Forecasts Strong Fiscal 2027 Growth as AI Networking Demand Surges

Cisco Systems has issued a stronger-than-expected fiscal 2027 outlook, fueled by rising demand for networking equipment and artificial intelligence infrastructure from hyperscale customers. The networking technology giant...

Super Micro Stock Jumps 19% as AI Server Demand Drives Strong 2027 Outlook

Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) shares surged about 19% on Wednesday after the AI server maker issued fiscal 2027 guidance that significantly exceeded Wall Street expectations, easing concerns following its softer...