Seven months after I first encountered Professor Prentice’s Earth Systems poster at the World Climate Research Programme Open Conference in Rwanda, I was at the Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment, and Society at Imperial College London in May 2024. On my first day, I met Dr Adriana Ford, who was instrumental in hosting and organizing my visit, and Dr.Matthew Kasoar, a global modeller involved in various research projects at the centre.
To my benefit, my visit coincided with the centre’s “Spring Symposium”, held at King’s College London Strand Campus. So, on days two and three of my visit, I immersed myself in presentations by early-career scientists, diligently taking notes on the diverse perspectives and scientific approaches—global, regional, statistical, and dynamical—used to investigate wildfires. The symposium also highlighted the social drivers, impacts, and implications of vegetation fires. My first week concluded with an inspiring conversation with Dr Rossella Arcucci, Director of Research at the Data Science Institute, who shared valuable ideas on improving and automating fire tracking, monitoring, and prediction.
Photo: PhD student Angel Goldsmith’s presentation “Managing wildfire risk at the wildland-urban interface in South Africa”
Photo: Picture taken by Dr Mulyasih while I videoed the demonstration being explained by Nick Kalogeropoulos
As my time to present my work approached, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. Conversations with Mr. Theodore Keeping, who offered encouraging feedback on my research, and Prof. Apostolos Voulgarakis, who reassured me about my upcoming talk, helped boost my confidence. Prof. Voulgarakis’s thoughtful questions about my feelings regarding the presentation were particularly comforting. Our conversation was comfortable, even as we went from my research to broader Climate Science and Physics in general.
While I have numerous photos documenting my engagements, there are few from my presentation. Nevertheless, the experience was rewarding. After introductions to new teams within the centre in the morning, my afternoon talk was well attended. The audience’s attentiveness and insightful questions affirmed that I was on the right path. My presentation can be viewed below:
This newfound confidence carried over to my visit to Hazelab, where I explored Fire Dynamics research. Professor Guillermo Rein’s team was welcoming and facilitated an online meeting with Dr. Tanya Kerr from the University of the West Indies Mona. Dr. Hafizha Mulyasih and other team members gave me a tour of the facilities and demonstrated experiments useful for outreach efforts.
Photo: Group photo on the final day of Imperial Hazelab visit
Photo: Demonstration of the Combustion Chamber at Rothamsted
During my final week, I attended Physics Seminars and visited the University of Reading and Rothamsted, renowned for its agricultural research and home to the KCL Earth Observation and Wildfires research lab led by Prof. Martin Wooster. With the enthusiastic collaboration of Dr José Gómez-Dans, I began drafting a potential first project. The visit to Rothamsted, a fascinating blend of high-tech innovation and expansive fields, concluded with a team meeting and social gathering. The week ended on a celebratory note with a seminar honouring Dr Olivia Haas’ successful completion of her graduate studies and her transition into further research. I returned home with renewed excitement for my research and the myriad opportunities that lie ahead.
Feature Image: Picture was taken by Dr Matthew Kasoar in Imperial College Courtyard
Candice Charlton is a PhD student and educator in the field of Applied Physics, based a the University of the West Indies, and specializing in climate variability and its implications for bushfire risk management. She visited our Centre for three weeks in May 2024, through a full bursary provided by the Centre.
