Dr Ben Drummond
Ben works on the development and application of numerical atmosphere models to gain a better understanding of atmospheric composition with a focus on air quality.
Areas of Expertise
- Air quality modelling
- Numerical atmospheric chemistry modelling
- Multi-dimensional atmospheric modelling: 1D (column), 2D and 3D
Current activities
Ben works on improving our understanding of air quality impacts through development and use of air quality atmosphere models and comparison of model output with measurements. Ben's current research focus is to push the spatial resolution of Met Office air quality models to smaller scales. A finer resolution will allow the model to better represent fine-scale detail (for example, of pollutant emissions) that could lead to an improvement of our air quality forecast, as well as improve our estimates of the impacts of poor air quality on human health and the environment.
Career background
Ben graduated from Keele University in 2012 with a dual honours BSc in Astrophysics with Medicinal Chemistry, and was awarded the Tekdata-Cryoconnect Award for Best Degree in Astrophysics. In 2013, he completed a Master of Research (MRes) degree in Climate and Atmosphere Science at the University of Leeds, and investigated aerosol modelling in the Arctic region. He was awarded the Meteorological Office Prize for Best Overall Student Performance (2013).
Combining the themes of Astrophysics and Atmospheric Science, Ben moved to the University of Exeter to research the atmospheres of extra-solar planets. During the course of a PhD (2013-2017) and several years as a post-doctoral research fellow, he developed state-of-the-art numerical models (based on the Met Office Unified Model) to study hot Jupiter atmospheres, consistently combining atmospheric chemistry with fluid dynamics and radiative transfer for the first time.
Ben joined the Air Quality Impacts team at the Met Office in 2019.