William David Harcourt Email & Phone Number

Myself and Massimo Bollasina (University of Edinburgh) are co-leading a forum on Earth System Modelling & Artificial Intelligence (Earth-MAI), bringing together an interdisciplinary research community from across Scotland. More details here: https://sages.ac.uk/research/fora/earth-system-modelling-artificial-intelligence-earth-mai/

Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom

This research fellowship will see me develop interdisciplinary research at the University of Aberdeen in the Centre for Data/AI. I will primarily be developing digital twins of the cryosphere across the Arctic (e.g. Svalbard, Greenland), but will also be investigating the application of machine learning across a range of topics including glacier mapping, glacier surges and glacier velocities.

Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom

Lecturer in Geography

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

This project aimed to determine the spatial coverage of seagrass along the coast of Kenya for the first time and assess how it has changed over time. At Edinburgh Napier University, I took up the role of lead Remote Sensing and GIS analyst, coordinating an assessment of seagrass coverage through field and computed-based analysis. This project had significant importance to the local communities that depend on seagrass for their livelihoods - these blue carbon ecosystems are a vital habitat for fish, a key food source for many coastal populations.However, seagrass ecosystems are threatened globally. Not only do they store large amounts of carbon in their soil, but they are extremely important for fisheries, and the coastal economy. Despite their importance, we are still lacking fundamental data on their spatial distribution. In this role, I used optical satellite imagery to map the extent of seagrass ecosystems along the coast of Kenya. This aims to support ongoing management efforts through projects such as Mikoko Pamoja, which is of particular importance to local communities reliant upon fishing for their livelihoods. This project required not only technical knowledge of remote sensing analysis, but also effective communication between key stakeholders in Kenya, and researchers at Edinburgh Napier University.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

During the summer of 2017 I taught English as a foreign language to exchange students across Europe. The role was split into two; (1) English Teacher, and (2) Activity Leader. For role (1), I was responsible for preparing and delivery teaching material to groups of students who had paid to learn English at Wallace College. These lasted approximately three hours every morning for the duration of the summer school, and required innovative, exciting teaching methods in order to engage the students in the material. For role (2), I led afternoon activities for groups of children and adults ranging from 10 to 60. These activities aimed to showcase Edinburgh and Scotland to the students, thus broadening the cultural experience which they were receiving from myself and Wallace College. As an activity leader, I was responsible for the safety of all participants, which thus required significant organisation and communication skills from myself.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

This role focused on preparing students for end of year exams in Geography, focusing on English GCSE's and A Level's, as well as Scottish Standard Grades and Highers. In particular, I was tasked with developing teaching material that was suitable for each of these levels, delivering lessons on a weekly basis, and designing homework tasks that would help the students extend their understanding of geographical topics. The success of these lessons led to a number of other responsibilities within the school, such as leading revision sessions relating to Geography, as well as acting as an exam invigilator.

Exeter, United Kingdom

The Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the global average, significantly impacting the flow of glaciers from circum-Arctic ice caps. In this project, I quantified the annual and seasonal velocity in 2016 for glaciers across the Arctic, focusing on Svalbard, the Russian Arctic, and the Canadian Arctic. This utilised optical feature-tracking (image matching) techniques of satellite imagery, particularly using Landsat 8 OLI. Further, I quantified decadal changes in glacier velocity for these regions, and calculated the effect this had on surface elevation rates and ice front geometry.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Physics

Master Of Science - Msc, Geographic Information Science And Cartography, Merit

Bachelor Of Science - Bsc, Geography, First Class Honours