Alice Larkin (previous married name Bows) is Head of the School of Engineering at the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
and a Professor of Climate Science and Energy Policy.
[ She works on carbon budgets and cumulative emissions. She leads the ]Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences, mainly to universi ...
(EPSRC) consortium project ''Stepping Up Nexus.''
Education
Larkin studied astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
at the University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
, graduating in 1996. She joined Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
for her graduate studies, working on climate modelling
Numerical climate models use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions of the important drivers of climate, including atmosphere, oceans, land surface and ice. They are used for a variety of purposes from study of the dynamics of the ...
, and completed her PhD in 2000 on the effects of solar variability on climate using atmospheric models of the troposphere
The troposphere is the first and lowest layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, and contains 75% of the total mass of the planetary atmosphere, 99% of the total mass of water vapour and aerosols, and is where most weather phenomena occur. From ...
and stratosphere
The stratosphere () is the second layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The stratosphere is an atmospheric layer composed of stratified temperature layers, with the warm layers of air ...
supervised by Joanna Haigh
Joanna Dorothy Haigh (born 7 May 1954) is a British physicist and academic. Before her retirement in 2019 she was Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London, and co-director of the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and En ...
.
Career and research
Larkin worked in science communication
Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...
for three years after her PhD. In 2003 Larkin joined the Tyndall Centre
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is an organisation based in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off ...
working on conflicts between climate change and policy. She is interested in ways that research can inform policy decisions. She became part of the team at Manchester, developing the energy scenario tool ASK in 2005, which allowed them to build low-carbon energy scenarios. She works on carbon budgets and cumulative emissions. She was involved in the creation of the Climate Change Act 2008
The Climate Change Act 2008 (c 27) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act makes it the duty of the Secretary of State to ensure that the net UK carbon account for all six Kyoto greenhouse gases for the year 2050 is at l ...
. She was appointed a lecturer in 2008 and became Director of the Tyndall Centre
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is an organisation based in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off ...
in 2013. She remains as a member of the Tyndall Centre
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is an organisation based in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off ...
council. In 2013 she called for more radical strategies to tackle climate change.
She became a Professor at the University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
in 2015. She is part of the University Living Lab. She delivered a Ted Talk
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
in 2015 entitled ''Climate Change is Happening, Here's How We Adapt''. The talk considered the reality of climate change and the fate of a world where wealthy nations do not take any responsibility. It was described as the 'best human rights talk of the year' by ''City Atlas: New Haven''. She also spoke at TED
TED may refer to:
Economics and finance
* TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar
Education
* ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association
** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey
** Transvaal Education Depa ...
xYouth@Manchester in 2015 and ''New Scientist
''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'' live.
In 2016 Larkin was awarded the ''Researcher of the Year'' by University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
. Larkin is interested in energy systems and international transport. She provided expert-witness to the trial of the Heathrow 13, protestors from the Plane Stupid
Plane Stupid is a UK-focused group of environmental protesters who state their aim as wanting to see an end to airport expansion for what it sees as "unnecessary and unsustainable" flights. It is a loose association of autonomous regional gro ...
campaign group, who chained themselves to Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
's Northern Runway to protest against the impact of climate change. She avoids flying as she believes that climate change experts should act as role models in curbing aviation growth. In 2017 she was made Head of the School (now Department) of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE) at the University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
, and in 2019 became Head of the School of Engineering. She has spoken extensively about climate change in mainstream media. She appeared on the podcast ''Introductions Necessary.'' She investigates the impact of the Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...
for big-emitting nations.
Shipping in Changing Climates
Despite the global economic downturn, the shipping industry is expected to continually increase in carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
emissions. Larkin is a theme lead in the EPSRC
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences, mainly to universi ...
project ''Shipping in Changing Climates''. She develops models to predict climate-change across the world. These models inform how the shipping industry can prepare for the future. She proposed that the shipping industry use sails
A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may ...
, biofuel
Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (E ...
and slow steaming Slow steaming is the practice of operating transoceanic cargo ships, especially container ships, at significantly less than their maximum speed. In 2010, an analyst at the National Ports and Waterways Institute stated that nearly all global shipping ...
.
Stepping Up
Larkin is principal investigator for the EPSRC
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences, mainly to universi ...
project ''Stepping Up''. The project looks for integrated solutions to future challenges in food, water and energy. She studied the emissions associated with the future global wheat demand.[ ] It combines anaerobic digestion, using insect protein for animal feed, recovery of the value of waste and ways to use surplus food from waste streams. Her research has been funded by the EPSRC and the Economic and Social Research Council
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), formerly the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) funded by the UK government. ESRC provides fundi ...
(ESRC).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Alice
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Alumni of Imperial College London
Alumni of the University of Leeds
Academics of the University of Manchester
Environmental scientists
British women scientists