Header image: Charlie working in the lab

The main aim of my role is to encourage community building- whether that be on social media, by running events and competitions, or through this blog! I’m really excited to be taking on this role alongside the second year of my PhD and can’t wait to meet as many of you as possible (albeit virtually, at least to start with!).

Where I’m From 

I’m originally from a little town called Bedford, which is just north of London. Technically, there’s a county named after it, but at least half the people I meet think it’s a made-up place (or a quote from a Bridget Jones movie)! I’ve moved around a lot since leaving home- three years in Durham for my undergrad in Natural Sciences, a year in Sheffield for my masters in Polar and Alpine Change, and now Glasgow for my PhD. As a proud east coast native, the Glasgow weather is something I’m still getting used to, even though I’ve lived here for just over a year. But the people here are some of the nicest and most welcoming I’ve had the good fortune to meet, especially at the University. 

My Research 

When I’m not working on tweets, emails, blogs or the line up to the Three Minute Thesis competition, I’m mostly working on my PhD. My research examines changes to the East Asian Monsoon (specifically in Japan). The monsoon in East Asia is both a blessing and a curse- lots of people rely on this monsoon rainfall for their drinking water, but it is also a source of major water-borne hazards. Global warming is changing the strength of the monsoon (and how much rainfall we get in East Asia each year). The problem is, we really don’t know a great deal about how the monsoon changed during periods of dramatic warming. My work uses sediment cores from Lake Suigetsu, Japan (the most beautiful place on earth, in my humble, unbiased opinion) to reconstruct season-specific changes to the East Asian Monsoon across two periods of dramatic warming in recent geological history. Most of my research has me in the lab, but when I can tear myself away from my fume cupboard, I get lots of fieldwork opportunities in Japan. 

Taking a break from fieldwork in Japan to cycle around my study site, Lake Suigetsu

My Interests 

When I need a brain-break from all that science, I do lots of dancing (mostly hip-hop/ street dance) and I love to ski. I’m currently learning Japanese to help with my fieldwork and collaborations with Japanese colleagues who work at Lake Suigetsu. I’m also a massive musical theatre nerd and will happily spend evenings and weekends travelling all over the UK to watch shows. I recently joined the Glasgow University Cecilian Society, so you might be seeing me on stage very soon! 

Skiing in Andorra earlier in 2020

My Plans for the Year 

This year will undoubtedly look different to previous years, especially when it comes to events and competitions which are normally held in person. Working remotely will bring a whole new challenge to this role, but I’m excited to meet this head-on. We need a united PGR community now more than even, so I’m ready to get creative in order to help you all feel a sense of togetherness and identity as a UofG PGR. 

Looking forward to a weird and wonderful year with you all! Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions (Charlie Rex). I’d especially love to hear if you have any ideas for remote events or social media challenges in the run up to the Christmas break!