Mr Paul Alexander
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Biography:
Paul graduated from his BA in University College Dublin in 2009 Majoring in Geography. During his first year in UCD, 2006, he and a fellow student (Robert Mathews) applied to the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy with a research proposal to create an interactive map of University College Dublin's 1.48Km2 campus for new students and visitors. The School kindly accepted their proposal and commissioned them for 10 weeks to carry out the project, making them the first Stage 1 students to ever be involved in such an undertaking.
The project was subsequently completed on schedule and the map was launched on the university website, both Paul and Robert were commended by the Dean of Arts and College of Humanities and Social Sciences and awarded 10 academic credits for the project.
Following this Paul lead numerous projects within Geography, including the development of the first weather station on UCD campus (GPEP1), and served on the staff student committee within the School.
In 2010, Paul was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship (EPA- Environmental Science & Policy Award) to run a joint project between UCD, NUIM and Arizona State University involving a rigorous climatological and meteorological campaign of measurements to assess the impact of Ireland's capitol on the atmosphere, thus strengthening networks of research both nationally and internationally, and placing Dublin on a short list of cities to engage in such work.
Paul's research interests are focused on Climatology and the effect the urban canopy has on the atmosphere: he is currently researching the effect of Dublin's Urban Canopy on the atmosphere on two levels:
Firstly the generation of Dublin's modern Urban Heat Island (UHI) (post 20th century "boom") using GIS/Remote sensing and a new theoretical framework from Stewart (local climate zone classification) - involving both direct and indirect meteorological measurements within the urban canopy - a first for Dublin.
Secondly estimation of CO2 emissions from the Dublin City region and compiling a spatially detailed CO2 "emission inventory".
His academic interests include: Urban Climatology, Climatology, Recent Climate Change, Statistical Analysis, Physical Environments and Paleo-Environmental Changes.