Brice Rea

I am a glaciologist with a broad interest in the earth sciences who researches mostly on things related to glaciers and ice sheets, past present and future but also investigates permafrost processes and palaeoclimate. I gained my PhD from Queen’s University Belfast in 1994 and subsequently worked in postdoctoral research positions in Queen’s University Belfast, Cardiff University and the University of Leicester before completing my tour of the UK with a move to the University of Aberdeen in 2004 to a lectureship. I have undertaken over 50 field campaigns working in the Alps, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Peruvian Andes, Sweden, Svalbard, the UK and Ireland. I have participated on three offshore research cruises to the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, making it to the North Pole as a member of the Arctic Coring Expedition in 2004.

I have published widely on the cryosphere and palaeoclimate with the main focus being on the past 2.58 million years, the Quaternary. I employ a suite of techniques for my work, which includes the use of remotely sensed satellite data, experimental work, physical and numerical modelling but I am most excited about getting into the field, or sometimes onto the water, to collect data hands-on. I enjoy teaching students about the cryosphere, climate, natural hazards and generally how to understand the processes that shaped the physical landscape we see around us. I am currently head of Geography in the School of Geosciences, at the University of Aberdeen.