Julian A. Dowdeswell (born 18 November 1957) is a British glaciologist and a Professor of Physical Geography in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge, and from 2002-2021 was the Director of the

Scott Polar Research Institute The Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) is a centre for research into the polar regions and glaciology worldwide. It is a sub-department of the Department of Geography in the University of Cambridge, located on Lensfield Road in the south o ...

Education

Dowdeswell graduated with a BA in geography from the University of Cambridge in 1980, and studied for a master's degree at INSTAAR in the University of Colorado and for a Ph.D. in the

Career

He started his career as a lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He subsequently went on to work as a Professor of Physical Geography and Director of the Bristol Glaciology Centre, University of Bristol and then to the University of Cambridge in 2001. He became the director of the

in 2002. He is also a professorial fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge. His research focuses on the form and flow of

glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

and ice caps and their response to climate change, and the links between former ice sheets and the marine geological record, using a variety of satellite, airborne and shipborne geophysical tools. In 2019 Professor Dowdeswell was Chief Scientist on the

Weddell Sea Expedition 2019 The Weddell Sea Expedition 2019 is a 45 day expedition to the Weddell Sea, in Antarctica, that seeks to study the glaciology and biology at and near the Larsen C ice shelf. It will be the first expedition to investigate the area that Iceberg ...

, which aimed to: *investigate the ice shelves around the Weddell Sea and, in particular, the Larsen C Ice Shelf from which a giant iceberg broke off in July 2017 *document the rich and little-studied marine life of the western Weddell Sea ecosystem *attempt to locate and survey the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship ‘Endurance’, which was trapped and crushed by the ice and sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915.

Awards

* Polar Medal (1994) by H.M. The Queen for 'outstanding contributions to glacier geophysics'. *Gill Memorial Award (1998) from the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. * Founder's Medal (2008) from the Royal Geographical Society. *

Louis Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...

Medal (2011) from the European Geosciences Union for 'outstanding contributions to the study of polar ice masses and to the understanding of the processes and patterns of sedimentation in glacier-influenced marine environments'. *IASC Medal (2014) by the International Arctic Science Committee. * Lyell Medal (2018) from the Geological Society of London

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowdeswell, Julian Andrew 1957 births Living people British glaciologists Academics of the University of Cambridge Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge British geographers Recipients of the Polar Medal People educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge University of Colorado alumni Academics of Aberystwyth University Lyell Medal winners People of the Scott Polar Research Institute Recipients of the Royal Geographical Society Founder's Medal