Dr Alexandre S. Gagnon PhD
Lecturer in Environmental Sciences and Decision Support
Education:
- PhD Geography, University of Toronto
- MSc Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta
- BSc (Honours) Physical Geography, Concordia University
Research interests:
Dr Alexandre Gagnon is a geographer and applied climatologist by training. His research consists of assessing the environmental, social, and human health impacts of climate change and contributing to the development of community-level adaptation strategies both in Scotland and internationally. Another component of his research consists of improving our understanding of climate variability and performing verification techniques on seasonal forecasts produced by dynamical models of the atmosphere and ocean as well as assessing their potential utility for public health applications. More recently, his research interests have expanded to the investigation of the gaps between academic research in the environmental sciences and the needs of policy makers.
Key research topics:
- Vulnerability to climate change and assessment of community adaptive capacity
- Participatory approach to the development of local-level climate change adaptation strategies
- Climate variability and predictability at the seasonal to decadal time-scales
- Climatic and environmental influences on health issues
- Obstacles and gaps around the science-policy interface
Current research projects:
Dr Alexandre Gagnon is currently involved in a number of externally funded climate change and knowledge transfer projects in Scotland:
- Climate Change
- Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in the Outer Hebrides and Shetland Islands, Scotland
- Clim-ATIC: Climate Change – Adapting to the Impacts by Communities in the Northern Peripheral Regions
- Climate Change Impacts on Coastal Communities and Habitats
- Knowledge Exchange on Public Policy
- Bridging the Gap between Environmental Research and Local Decision Makers: A Case Study in the Ayrshire Local Authorities
Current PhD students
- Marta Bruno Soares; Vulnerability of Local Communities in Scotland to Future Climate Change and Climate-Related Policies
- Muhammad Afzal: Assessing Water Related Risk under Climate Change in the United Kingdom
- Irina Foss (external student); The influence of Sea Surface Temperatures on the Seasonal and Decadal Predictability of Scottish Climate
External collaborations:
- Centre for Mountain Studies, Perth College, UHI, Mr Clive Bowman and Professor Martin Price
- Environmental Research Institute, North Highland College, UHI, Dr David Woolf
- Western Norway Research Institute, Dr Carlo Aall
- Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Integrated Coastal Zone Manager, Mr David Muir
- University of Liverpool, Dr Andrew Morse, Dr Anne Jones, and Dr Ian Hastings
- University of Toronto at Scarborough, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Dr William Gough
- Centre for Rural Health Research and Policy, University of Aberdeen, Dr Cameron Stark
- Finnish Meteorological Institute, Ms Reija Ruuhela
Professional memberships:
- Royal Meteorological Society
- Association of American Geographers
- American Meteorological Society
Links:
Tel: +44-141-848 3270
Fax: +44-141-848 3663
e-mail: Alexandre.Gagnon@uws.ac.uk