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Global warming is such a problem some people have suggested we try radical ways to cool the planet down. One way would be to put tiny particles (like dust) in the atmosphere, which would reflect a small amount of sunlight. This could have all sorts of effects on the weather, and that’s what I’m trying to find out.

Since it’s obviously a pretty big deal to be messing with the environment like this, we don’t do experiments in the real world. Instead I use computer model calculations to help me understand what might happen in the real world. There are lots of people who really dislike this idea because we would just be interfering with the environment even more – and I think I agree with them!

When I arrive I sit down at the computer and do some morning emails and things (including some cheeky Facebooking!). Then I get on with looking at the results from my computer simulations. I often have meetings with other people in my research group over tea, where I can hear about what my colleagues are working on and ask their opinions on my results. This is helpful because the most important part of being a scientist is working out what your results mean, and it’s not always obvious! Since I am a PhD student I have to write a thesis (basically a big book containing all my findings), so I spend quite a bit of time doing that!