Scientist Spotlight: Rosemary Willatt
1 October 2021
Hello, I’m Rosemary Willatt. I’m a Research Fellow at the Centre of Polar Observation Modelling.
Ever since I was young I have been fascinated by Earth'sÌýenvironment, particularly the sky and the ways that waves of light, or electromagnetic radiation, interact with everything else in our universe - so I studied MSci Astronomy. I loved my degree,ÌýwhichÌýalso included some environmental physics, and was awarded the Astronomy prize for best performance every yearÌýandÌýmade the Dean's list. I then had a great opportunity to work for the European Space Agency inÌýSpainÌýas a Young Graduate Trainee,ÌýworkingÌýon astronomical data from the XMM Newton X-ray space telescope. IÌýrealised that I wanted to continue to work with satellite data, using electromagnetic radiation, but for Earth Observation. I did a PhD in Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê Department of Earth Sciences in the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling,ÌýlookingÌýat how radiation interacts with snow-covered sea ice. I thenÌýhadÌýa career break from science research (working in the private and education sectors on environmental sustainability), and a family, andÌýreturned to science in late 2019. I am passionate about diversity in science and an active member of the department's groupsÌýWiESÌýandÌýNetwork for Ethnic Diversity. I have written .