Biography
Alan O'Neill's early research career when employed at the Met Office was in the area of large-scale dynamics of the stratosphere and its relevance to the formation of the ozone hole. On moving to the University of Reading, he ran large national collaborative programmes in climate science and, as founding Director of NERC's National Centre for Earth Observation, collaborative programmes on the use of satellites in environmental science. He has been heavily involved in developing strategies for Earth Observation from space both nationally and with the European Space Agency, the latter in his capacity as chair (till end 2014) of its Earth Sciences Advisory Committee.
One of his prime objectives while at the Cavendish, and soon to be in its new Maxwell Centre, is to build capability in the use of satellite data and "big data" analytical methods (e.g. machine learning) for diverse applications in the environmental and climate sectors, in particular in the area of agri-food and sustainable production. He aims to do this in collaboration with external partners in both the public and private sectors.
