Dr Katharine Giles was a key figure in a pioneering team that uses satellite data to measure the thickness of sea ice and the height of the sea surface, enabling detailed investigations into the changing climates of the Arctic and Antarctic. As a research fellow, and later university lecturer working at the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) at University College London (UCL), Giles developed these techniques to understand the complex interactions between sea ice cover, wind patterns and ocean circulation.
Born in 1978, Katharine Giles developed an interest in the natural world at an early age. She attended university at UCL where she excelled academically in earth and space sciences, before beginning to study for a PhD in 2000 under the supervision of