PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS

The CTCD consists of a consortium involving the Universities of Edinburgh, Sheffield and York, University College London and Forest Research. Brief details about the collaborating departments are given below. Further information about the institutions, departments and individuals can be found at the websites indicated.

School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh

The School of GeoSciences aims to understand the earth surface and interior, the atmosphere, oceans and biosphere, human activity, and the ways they interact. It is one of the largest such research groups in Europe. The School was graded excellent for its teaching, and received the top grade of 5 in the last Research Assessment Exercise. Research is grouped into 4 main areas: The Global Change Research Group; the Edinburgh Earth Observatory; Earth Subsurface Geoscience; and Human Geography.

Key scientists involved in CTCD: Professor John Grace (also see the CARBO-AGE web site)and Dr Mathew Williams

Forest Research

Forest Research is an agency of the Forestry Commission and is the principal organisation in the UK engaged in forestry and tree related research. The purpose of the Agency is to provide research, development, surveys and related services to the forest industry and provide authoritative advice in support of the development and implementation of the government's forestry policies. The research programmes cover a broad range of topics from genetic improvement of trees, through seed, tree establishment, stand management and threats to tree health. An increasing proportion of the research effort is directed at increasing the non-market benefits of trees, including biodiversity and recreation and ensuring compliance with international agreements on the sustainable management of forests.

Key scientist involved in CTCD: Professor Sam Evans

University of Sheffield

Departments of Applied Mathematics, Probability & Statistics and Animal & Plant Sciences. Sheffield Centre for Earth Observation Science

Animal & Plant Sciences
The Animal & Plant Sciences Department at the University of Sheffield is one of the largest in the UK devoted to the study of whole organism biology. It has a teaching staff of 35. It received a maximum score of 24 for teaching quality, and the highest grade 5* in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. The Department has major field experiments in Britain, Europe and Asia. Research activities are in 3 major areas, environment and biodiversity, molecular and ecological physiology, and evolution and behaviour.

Key scientist involved in CTCD (and Deputy Director): Professor Ian Woodward

Applied Mathematics
The Applied Mathematics Department employs 23 academic staff working in 5 main research areas: Continuum Mechanics, Earth Observation, Mathematical Physics, Non-Linear Systems, and Space & Atmosphere Research. The research in several of these areas is strongly associated with environmental modelling. It was graded 4 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, and classed as excellent for the quality of its teaching.

Key scientist involved in CTCD (and Director): Professor Shaun Quegan

Probability & Statistics
The Department has 13 academic staff involved in an extensive and very active programme of teaching and research. Its research encompasses a wide range of interests, from applied statistics through to probability theory, but is primarily organised under four clusters: Bayesian Statistics, Environmental Statistics, Experimental Design, and Probability, with Extreme Values and Time Series being additional areas of individual interest. It received the top grade of 5 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, and was rated as excellent for teaching quality.

Key scientists involved in CTCD:
Professor Clive Anderson
Professor Tony O'Hagan

Sheffield Centre for Earth Observation Science (SCEOS)
The new Centre is closely linked to SCEOS, of which Professors Anderson, Quegan and Woodward are founder members. This University Research Centre was inaugurated in 1993 with the purpose of stimulating, integrating and developing EO research across the University. SCEOS is interdisciplinary, with 10 academic staff drawn from the Departments of Animal & Plant Science, Applied Mathematics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Geography and Probability & Statistics, and about 20 research associates and PhD students. Its main research areas are vegetation studies (from global to local scales), oceanography, geomorphology and hydrology. In all these areas EO data is used as an investigative tool.

Department of Geography, University College London

The UCL Department of Geography is an established international leader in geography research. It gained the highest 5* (A) rating in the 2001 RAE, being one of only two Geography departments in the UK to gain the highest grading in all four RAE assessements carried out since the mid-1980s. The Department was also graded excellent for the quality of its teaching in the last official assessment. Six research groups form the primary basis for the department's research management: the Cultural and Historial Geography Group; the Environmental Monitoring and Modelling Group; the Economic and Social Restructuring Group; the Environmental Change Research Centre; the Environmental and Society Research Unit, and the Geographical Information Science and Remote Sensing Network. It is one of the largest geography departments in the country with 34 academic staff, including 11 professors, all actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and supervision.

Key scientist involved in CTCD: Dr Philip Lewis

Department of Biology, University of York

The Department of Biology is one of the leading centres for biological teaching and research in the UK. There are more than 40 academic staff, plus 22 senior Research Fellows, 100 contract research staff, 53 taught graduate students, 92 research graduate students and 91 technical staff. The Department was graded 5 in the 2001 RAE, and 24/24 in the official Subject review. A key feature of the Department is the absence of barriers between disciplines: the whole spectrum of modern Biology is covered, from molecular genetics and biochemistry to ecology. Research focuses on three major areas: biomedical and biomolecular science and cancer research; plant cell and molecular biology; and ecology and evolution.

Key scientist involved in CTCD: Professor Phil Ineson