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Robyn Schofield

Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Environment and Sustainability), The University of Melbourne
I performed my PhD jointly at the School of Environmental Sciences at Auckland University and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research at Lauder, Central Otago, New Zealand looking at the vertical distribution of BrO (a ozone destroying radical) by conducting and inverting spectroscopic measurements made at both Lauder and Arrival Heights, Antarctica.

I then spent two years in Boulder, Colorado as a CIRES visiting fellow working at the NOAA Chemical Sciences Division looking at spectroscopy of clouds, aerosols, sulfur, nitrogen species in our atmosphere and at ozone trends.

Between 2006 and 2011 I worked at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam as a Humboldt visiting fellow looking at Polar ozone loss kinetics and then a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellow looking at tropical tropopause layer transport of chemical species to the stratosphere.

Since June 2011 I have been working at the School of Earth Sciences as part of the Climate and Weather Sciences Group at the University of Melbourne. From March 2014 I took up a lecturer for Climate System Science position. I am now an Associate Professor in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and since August 2021 the inaugural Associate Dean (Environment and Sustainability) within the Faculty of Science.

My current research interests are:
Spectroscopic observations of trace gas species
Radiative transfer modelling
Stratospheric ozone loss kinetics
Tropical tropopause layer processes driving stratospheric composition
Microphysical modelling
Coupled chemistry-climate modelling
Urban air quality and health
Airborne transmission and indoor air quality

Defunct satellites burning up in the atmosphere could damage the ozone layer. Here’s how

Jun 20, 2024 05:46 am UTC| Business

Communications companies such as Starlink plan to launch tens of thousands of satellites into orbit around Earth over the next decade or so. The growing swarm is already causing problems for astronomers, but recent...

Economy

Gold Prices Hold Firm as Markets Await Fed Rate Cut; Silver Surges to Record High

Gold prices held steady during Asian trading on Wednesday, maintaining a positive tone ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserves widely anticipated interest rate cut. Both spot gold and gold futures saw mild gains, with spot...

Asian Stocks Slip Ahead of Fed Decision as China Deflation Concerns Deepen

Asian stock markets retreated on Wednesday as investors turned cautious ahead of a closely watched U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate decision. Markets across the region tracked mild overnight losses on Wall Street, where...

ADB Approves $400 Million Loan to Boost Ease of Doing Business in the Philippines

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $400 million policy-based loan designed to support the Philippines push to improve its business environment and attract more foreign investment. Although the country remains...

Global Forex Markets Brace for Fed Decision as Yen Extends Weakness

The Japanese yen continued to struggle on Wednesday, slipping further as investors remained focused on the widening interest rate gap between Japan and other major economies. Despite expectations that the Bank of Japan...

Silver Prices Surge to New Record Above $60 as Supply Concerns and Fed Expectations Boost Demand

Silver prices skyrocketed to an all-time high on Wednesday, breaking above $60 an ounce as tightening supply expectations and stronger investor interest pushed the white metal to outperform gold. In early trading, spot...

Politics

China Adds Domestic AI Chips to Government Procurement List as U.S. Considers Easing Nvidia Export Curbs

China has taken a major step to reinforce its domestic semiconductor industry by adding locally developed artificial intelligence chips to an official government procurement list for the first time, according to a report...

Musk Says Trump’s DOGE Initiative Fell Short and He Wouldn’t Lead It Again

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reflected on his time leading U.S. President Donald Trumps Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), acknowledging that the initiative achieved only limited success. Speaking on a podcast with former...

US Criticizes China After Radar Incident Escalates Tensions With Japan

The United States has publicly criticized China for the first time after Chinese fighter jets reportedly aimed their radars at Japanese military aircraft during a training exercise near Okinawa last week. The incident,...

Australia Pushes Forward on AUKUS Submarine Program Amid Workforce and Production Challenges

Australia is intensifying efforts to advance the AUKUS nuclear submarine program, with Defence Minister Richard Marles stressing that the nation is being very self-critical as it works to overcome key challenges,...

Bolsonaro’s Defense Requests Hospital Transfer and Humanitarian House Arrest

Defense lawyers for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have formally requested that he be transferred from jail to a hospital to undergo surgical procedures, according to a document reviewed by Reuters. The legal...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

EU Court Cuts Intel Antitrust Fine to €237 Million Amid Long-Running AMD Dispute

The General Court of the European Union has significantly reduced Intels antitrust fine, lowering it from the previously imposed 376 million to 237.1 million ($438 million to $276 million). The ruling, issued Wednesday,...

EssilorLuxottica Bets on AI-Powered Smart Glasses as Competition Intensifies

EssilorLuxottica is doubling down on smart eyewear innovation, with its Ray-Ban Meta glasses delivering their first meaningful revenue boost since launch. These AI-powered frames, developed with Meta, aim to redefine...

Microsoft Unveils Massive Global AI Investments, Prioritizing India’s Rapidly Growing Digital Market

Microsoft has announced more than $23 billion in new global artificial intelligence investments, with the majority directed toward India as the tech giant accelerates its presence in one of the worlds fastest-growing...

Trump’s Approval of AI Chip Sales to China Triggers Bipartisan National Security Concerns

The Trump administration is facing strong backlash from China hawks and Democratic lawmakers after authorizing Nvidia, AMD, and Intel to sell advanced AI chipsspecifically Nvidias H200to China. President Donald Trump...

SpaceX Reportedly Preparing Record-Breaking IPO Targeting $1.5 Trillion Valuation

SpaceX is reportedly moving forward with early plans for a massive initial public offering that could raise more than $30 billion, potentially making it the largest IPO in history. According to a Bloomberg News report...