Joshua Perkins

With more people at increasingly serious risk of heat stress in urban areas, actionable, local scale thermal data is desperately needed. In preparation for the new European Space Agency Land Surface Temperature Monitoring mission (first launching in 2028), this project aims to explore and test the use of downscaled high resolution thermal data for urban adaptation – integrating urban energy modelling and earth observation data to measure the thermal environment people face in cities.  

Prior to beginning my PhD I have worked in and researched across the climate sciences and resilience space. I studied at the University of Leicester for my undergraduate degree, in Physics with Space Science, where I first specialised in climate – I did my 3rd year research project with the Surface Temperature team I’m working with now. I also worked on projects with Airbus Geospatial Intelligence and CGI consulting. I then worked for NCEO/Leicester as an emissions scientist, helping to develop the analysis pipeline for a UK national monitoring programme (GEMMINI-UK for any air-quality people).  

 During this time, I decided I wanted to stretch myself in interdisciplinary and impact research. So, while continuing working part time for GEMMINI-UK, I completed an MSc in Risk and Disaster Science with UCL’s exceptional Department for Risk and Disaster Reduction. Over the course of this master’s I developed my understanding and practice of interdisciplinary stakeholder engagement, global resilience building, risk management and emergency preparedness. Alongside colleagues and lecturers from all over the world, with backgrounds in scientific research, military and first response, business, international development, just to name a few, I wrote policy briefs, studied climate adaptation, stress tested emergency plans and worked on advanced AI modelling for wildfires. This culminated in my thesis, completed in collaboration with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, building the first tool linking heat extremes, outdoor thermal comfort and occupational health in the Caribbean region.  

Following this, I have worked in climate resilience consultancy and for Planet Labs, developing a global correction and validation model for their Microwave Land Surface Temperature product, widely used in global agriculture monitoring. Alongside this doctoral research, I am also a volunteer researcher for Climate:Change think tank, focusing on heat adaptation for local governance, and a committee member for the Institute of Physics’ Environmental Physics Group organising events promoting the role of physics in environmental sciences.  

For me doctoral research was a natural stepping stone in developing both my technical skills and making research impactful. It’s an opportunity to grow in both analysing and communicating findings and I’m looking forward to the collaborations and mutual learning I’ll encounter along the way. 

My interest was primarily the project offered and its experienced supervisors, alongside a clear focus on the part of CENTA to develop researchers who may not necessarily stay in academia. I found the CENTA training programme to have a real holistic approach, providing access to both interdisciplinary and specialised training. And of course, it’s great to be back with the University of Leicester! 

Researching as a CENTA doctoral candidate, I’m sure, will develop my scientific skillsets and research abilities in my work as a climate resilience practioner, particularly in the area of uncertainty – a key issue in climate science and not well considered in adaptation work. I’m particularly interested in where state-of-the-art earth observation and modelling can inform decision making on adaptation and resilience, especially where there are rapidly increasing heat-health risks. I’m also looking forward to conversations across the many different fields represented in CENTA!