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Robert Wilby

Professor of Hydroclimatic Modelling, Loughborough University
My research is about the management of freshwater and built environments under climate variability and change. This spans reconstruction of drought and flood indices to assess the severity of recent extreme events through to detailed monitoring of river temperatures for ecological purposes. Time spent in the water industry, government, and consultancy has given me a very practical and pragmatic approach to this work.

Following secondments to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado I co-developed the Statistical DownScaling Model (SDSM). This freely available climate scenario tool has underpinned many climate change risk assessments including for water supplies, fluvial floods, storm surge, air quality and urban heat island intensity in countries such as Canada, China, Morocco, Tajikistan and Yemen.

My latest research is exploring smarter approaches to climate risk assessment and decision making under deep uncertainty about the future climate. This shifts the focus onto better understanding then managing the climate vulnerability of human and natural systems. Recent projects include seasonal river flow forecasting for hydropower plants in Central Asia, modelling urban water and sanitation hazards in East Africa, and evaluation of extreme indoor temperatures in low income communities of Ghana.

'Natural' flood management would be overwhelmed by Britain's winter super-floods

Feb 25, 2020 13:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

As large swathes of the UK endure the worst floods in living memory, hearts and minds are rightly focused on protecting people and property. At one point the governments Environment Agency had issued a record 594 flood...

London to be as hot as Barcelona by 2050? I research urban heat, and I'm sceptical

Jul 12, 2019 09:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Barcelona just had a week of temperatures above 30℃. Its a few degrees hotter than the long-term average, but no heatwave. In winter, Spains second largest city is typically a mild 15℃ or so. With its climate regulated by...

Economy

Goldman Sachs Sees U.S. Dollar Holding Firm as Strong Economic Data Supports Outlook

Goldman Sachs expects the U.S. dollar to remain supported by strong economic fundamentals, although improving global risk sentiment and resilient foreign currencies may limit additional gains. The bank noted that recent...

Canada-Indonesia Trade Pact Gains Momentum as Carney and Prabowo Discuss Economic Cooperation

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held talks on Saturday to discuss the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its potential effects on global energy markets and the broader...

US Weighs Using Frozen Iranian Assets to Rebuild Gulf Infrastructure After Regional Attacks

The United States is reportedly considering a plan to redirect frozen Iranian assets to help Gulf allies rebuild infrastructure damaged in recent attacks linked to Tehran, according to a Reuters report published on...

US-Iran Gulf Clash Raises Oil Market and Defense Stock Concerns

A fresh military confrontation between the United States and Iran has intensified concerns over global oil supplies, defense sector performance, and Middle East security. According to reports citing U.S. Central Command...

Oil Prices Slip but End Two-Week Losing Streak as Middle East Tensions Persist in 2026

Global oil prices moved lower on Friday after operations resumed at Omans key Mina al Fahal oil terminal following reports of a drone-related incident. Despite the daily decline, both Brent crude and West Texas...

Politics

MOL Gets More Time to Negotiate Acquisition of Russian-Owned Stake in Serbia’s NIS

Hungarian energy giant MOL has received additional time from the United States government to continue negotiations over the potential acquisition of a majority stake in Serbias oil company NIS, a deal that would reduce...

Princess Anne’s Son Peter Phillips Marries Harriet Sperling at Royal Wedding in England

Peter Phillips, the eldest grandson of the late Queen Elizabeth II, married pediatric nurse Harriet Sperling in a private royal wedding ceremony attended by King Charles III and several senior members of the British royal...

US-Iran Conflict Escalates After Strait of Hormuz Drone Incident

The United States and Iran moved closer to a broader confrontation after U.S. forces struck Iranian coastal radar and surveillance facilities following the interception of drones near the Strait of Hormuz. According to...

France, Allies Prepare Coordinated Sanctions Over West Bank Settler Violence

France is working with several partner countries to increase pressure on Israel by advancing coordinated national sanctions against individuals accused of involvement in violence in the occupied West Bank. According to...

Gaza Ceasefire Talks Resume as Israeli Strike Kills Seven Palestinians

An Israeli airstrike killed at least seven Palestinians, including two women, in Gaza City on Saturday, according to local health officials, as renewed Gaza ceasefire talks began in Cairo aimed at preserving the fragile...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Bouygues, Orange and Iliad Strike €20.35 Billion Deal to Acquire SFR

Frances telecom sector is on the verge of a major transformation after Bouygues Telecom, Orange, and Free, part of the Iliad Group, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Altice France to acquire telecom operator...

Apollo and Blackstone Complete $35 Billion Anthropic AI Infrastructure Financing Deal

Apollo Global Management (NYSE: APO) and Blackstone (NYSE: BX) have completed a landmark $35 billion financing package for artificial intelligence company Anthropic, marking one of the largest private credit transactions...

US Officials Explore AI Company Equity Stakes Ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic IPO Plans

Senior U.S. government officials have reportedly held preliminary discussions with leading artificial intelligence companies regarding the possibility of the federal government acquiring equity stakes in their businesses....

Switch Eyes Multi-Billion-Dollar Funding Round at $50 Billion Valuation Ahead of Potential IPO

Data center operator Switch is reportedly in discussions to raise billions of dollars in a new funding round that could value the company at more than $50 billion, according to a report from The Information. The potential...

South Korea Weighs AI Profit Sharing as Samsung and SK Hynix Earnings Surge

South Koreas Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon has called for a national discussion on how to distribute the extraordinary profits generated by the countrys booming artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industries....