How do you describe your job when you meet people at a party?
‘I help to stop people flooding – I manage the flood warning service in my area, and work with the public to help them better understand their flood risk. I also work with scientists to help us better predict flooding’
What is ‘cutting-edge’ about your work?
Hydrological analyses such as flood frequency estimation, helping develop flood warning procedures using state of the art rainfall runoff modeling techniques as well as 2D hydraulic models. Also, developing effective methods of communicating flood risk to the public so that they underdstand the messages they receive, and take effective action to reduce their risk
What are the biggest implications your work will/could have in the future?
Helping prevent individuals from suffering the consequences of flooding. At the national scale, saving the country money from financial costs of flooding
Describe briefly how your career has progressed to date.
Very non-standard! After my time as a Policeman I returned to education and after my first degree I spent 6 years in academia first as a Post-Doctoral Research student , then as a Research Fellow. I then transferred to the ‘applied’ sector in the Environment Agency a hydrologist dealing with a wide range of issues covering water resources, flood studies and water quality. My interest then focused on flooding for several years before I spent a year working in the Science Group as a hydrologist working on Water resources and Water Framework topics including the Agency’s science needs in relation to hydromorphology. I have now moved to a managerial role, back in the flooding arena although I am still actively involved in science projects covering a range of topics including land management and sediment delivery, hydromorphology and rainfall-runoff modeling.
How is your job cross-disciplinary?
Flood Incident management requires an understanding and involvement in hydrology, coastal processes, hydraulics, land management and farming, human behavior to name but a few.
How well is your job compensated? What is the starting salary for your field, and how much can this be expected to rise?
£21k-36k over at least 6 years
How do you see your field developing over the next 5-10 years?
A new role in tackling surface and groundwater flooding. Responding to the pressures of climate change against a background of reduced funding
What’s the most unexpected thing about your job?
The variety of work – never dull!
What’s the biggest achievement of your career so far?
Ph.D. – an all consuming 3 years
