Dr Sean Elvidge PhD

Dr Sean Elvidge

School of Engineering
Associate Professor of Space Environment
Head of Space Environment Research (SERENE)

Contact details

Address
School of Engineering building
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Sean Elvidge is an Associate Professor in Space Environment and leads the Space Environment and Radio Engineering (SERENE) group in the School of Engineering.

Space weather events are one of the major risks facing society as it becomes increasingly dependent on technology. Sean's research is focused on using innovative mathematical methods to create the next generation space weather forecast models. He was selected for the inaugural Forbes Europe 30 Under 30 list in the Science and Healthcare category.

Sean is a passionate communicator of science on a range of topics. He frequently gives talks to groups and schools across the country, reaching over 1,500 people a year.

Qualifications

Associate Professor in Space Environment

  • PhD in ionospheric modelling, University of Birmingham, 2014
  • MSci (Hons) in Mathematics, University of Birmingham, 2011

Teaching

  • LM Space Environment - Lead Lecturer
  • LI Engineering Mathematics 2 - Lecturer

Other activities

  • International Union of Radio Science (URSI) Early Career Representative
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU) Radio Science journal Associate Editor
  • URSI Council Representative to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG)
  • Villiers Park Educational Trust: Tutor, Mentor & Charity Ambassador

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Elvidge, S, Granados, SR, Angling, MJ, Themens, DR, Wood, AG & Brown, M 2023, 'Multi‐Model Ensembles for Upper Atmosphere Models', Space Weather, vol. 21, no. 3, e2022SW003356. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022SW003356

Elvidge, S, Themens, DR, Brown, MK & Donegan‐Lawley, E 2023, 'What to Do When the F10.7 Goes Out?', Space Weather, vol. 21, no. 4, e2022SW003392. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022SW003392

Themens, D, Reid, B & Elvidge, S 2022, 'ARTIST ionogram autoscaling confidence scores: best practices ', URSI Radio Science Letters, vol. 4, pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.46620/22-0001

Themens, DR, Watson, C, Žagar, N, Vasylkevych, S, Elvidge, S, McCaffrey, A, Prikryl, P, Reid, B, Wood, A & Jayachandran, PT 2022, 'Global propagation of ionospheric disturbances associated with the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 49, no. 7, e2022GL098158. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098158

Boyde, B, Wood, A, Dorrian, G, Fallows, RA, Themens, D, Mielich, J, Elvidge, S, Mevius, M, Zucca, P, Dabrowski, B, Krankowski, A, Vocks, C & Bisi, MM 2022, 'Lensing from small-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances observed using LOFAR', Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, vol. 12, 34. https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2022030

Nugent, L, Elvidge, S & Angling, M 2021, 'Comparison of low-latitude ionospheric scintillation forecasting techniques using a physics-based model', Space Weather, vol. 19, no. 7, e2020SW002462. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020SW002462

Hapgood, M, Angling, MJ, Attrill, G, Bisi, M, Cannon, PS, Dyer, C, Eastwood, JP, Elvidge, S, Gibbs, M, Harrison, RA, Hord, C, Horne, RB, Jackson, DR, Jones, B, Machin, S, Mitchell, CN, Preston, J, Rees, J, Rogers, NC, Routledge, G, Ryden, K, Tanner, R, Thomson, AWP, Wild, JA & Willis, M 2021, 'Development of space weather reasonable worst‐case scenarios for the UK national risk assessment', Space Weather, vol. 19, no. 4, e2020SW002593. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020SW002593

Abstract

Themens, DR, Jayachandran, T, McCaffrey, A, Reid, B & Elvidge, S 2022, 'Assessing the performance of a near-real-time operational data assimilation system: Assimilation Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Model (A-CHAIM)', 44th COSPAR Assembly, Athens, Greece, 16/07/22 - 24/07/22 pp. 996.

Nugent, L, Elvidge, S, Cannon, PS & Themens, D 2021, 'A comparison of techniques to determine the geolocation of plasma irregularities', 17th European Space Weather Week, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 25/10/21 - 29/10/21.

Conference contribution

Elvidge, S 2021, AENeAS & AIDA. in 3D Ionospheric Modelling Workshop. 3D Ionospheric Modelling Workshop, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 29/11/21.

Elvidge, S & George, E 2021, Assimilation of radio occultation data for ionospheric and thermospheric modelling. in Proceedings of the XXXIVth URSI General Assembly in Rome (August 2021). URSI, 2021 URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium, Rome, Italy, 27/08/21. <https://www.ursi.org/proceedings/procGA21/papers/URSIGASS2021-Fr-G09-PM3-2.pdf>

Other

Elvidge, S & Themens, D 2022, 'Observing and modelling the ionosphere: supporting communications and navigation', Space Weather Workshop, 26/04/22 - 28/04/22.

Paper

Donegan-Lawley, E, Elvidge, S, Nugent, L, Wood, A & Themens, D 2022, 'Two different (and commonly used) methods of calculating the 81-day average value of the F10.7 cm solar radio flux: Impacts of global models', Paper presented at Beacon Satellite Symposium 2022, Boston , United States, 1/08/22 - 5/08/22.

George, E, Elvidge, S & Angling, M 2021, 'Downsampled Radio Occultation Observations for Data Assimilation Models', Paper presented at 17th European Space Weather Week, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 25/10/21 - 29/10/21.

Poster

Elvidge, S, Themens, D, Reid, B, Ahmed, M, Angling, M, Vetra-Carvalho, S & Bocquet, F-X 2021, 'Deployment of AIDA on the SWE Portal', 17th European Space Weather Week, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 25/10/21 - 29/10/21.

View all publications in research portal

Media experience

Stargazing Live at The University of Birmingham

Dr Elvidge has a wide range of media experience. This work has primarily been with BBC Learning as part of Stargazing Live which has included numerous radio and television interviews.

As well as regularly advising local radio on science and astronomy topics, Sean has also written a number of articles for magazines (Experimental, iSquared, Plus Magazine, Space Weather Quarterly and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications Magazine).

Expertise

Dr Elvidge has a plethora of experience advising the UK Cabinet Office and Ministry of Defence on issues related to space weather and the probability of extreme events. Among his experience:

  • Advice to UK Government (Ministry of Defence & Civil Contingencies Secretary) on Space Weather modelling and risk
  • Advice on Space Weather and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) risk for UK National Risk Register
  • Taken part in Royal Society sponsored Parliamentary Pairing Scheme – pairing  scientists with senior civil servants

Policy experience

Dr Elvidge has a plethora of experience advising the UK Cabinet Office and Ministry of Defence on issues related to space weather and the probability of extreme events. Among his experience:

  • Advice to UK Government (Ministry of Defence & Civil Contingencies Secretary) on Space Weather modelling and risk.
  • Advice on Space Weather and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) risk for UK National Risk Register.
  • Taken part in Royal Society sponsored Parliamentary Pairing Scheme – pairing scientists with senior civil servants.

Culture and collections

Schools, institutes and departments

Services and facilities