About my research

I am a fourth year PhD student on SENSE CDT, using optical data from satellites and drones to better understand Arctic vegetation change. In particular, I am interested in the sensitivity of Arctic greening analyses to changing abiotic phenomena and how this sensitivity may scale with spatial and temporal resolution. To date, I have focussed my PhD on the impact late lying snow patches have on the vegetation metrics central to Arctic greening analyses. My research has included two field seasons, in the Canadian sub-Arctic Yukon (2022, 10 weeks) and the Arctic tundra of Western Greenland (2023, 5 weeks). 

Science Outreach

I hold a strong interest in science communication and outreach. In the first year of my PhD, I co-authored a successful NERC grant application to support the creation of SatSchool - an Earth Observation outreach programme for secondary school pupils. I have since contributed to further successful outreach grant applications, have delivered science outreach in a variety of settings (science festivals in-person and online, school classrooms) and have been invited to participate on outreach panels at conferences. 

Background and other interests

I completed my undergraduate degree in Geography, graduating from the University of Aberdeen in 2018. My undergraduate dissertation focussed on mapping snow avalanche hazards for backcountry recreationists and I completed an honours field-based research project on the greening of glacier forelands. Upon graduating, I went to work in industry as a cartographer and GIS Technician for two years before beginning my PhD at the University of Edinburgh. 

I’m a mountain sport enthusiast and can be found on a hillside somewhere when I’m not at my desk. I’m also a keen photographer and enjoy illustration. For further info, see my website, or get in touch.

Email: calum.hoad@ed.ac.uk

Web: https://calumhoad.github.io/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calumhoad/