A very special day graduating from my PhD yesterday 🎓

A huge, huge thank you to my family, supervisors, and the rest of my village - I couldn’t have done it without you!

#PhDone

Although this is the final paper of my PhD, I do have one more piece on the Pliocene in the works. I'm looking forward to sharing more about that in the coming months!

A huge thank you to my wonderful co-authors for their insight, expertise and guidance!

An earlier version of the paper formed the third results chapter of my PhD thesis, which is also available open access: etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/36...

This was a real passion project. My hope is that this paper, alongside its companion palaeoclimate analogy framework paper led by @arthuroldeman.bsky.social, inspire more critical conversations around palaeoclimate analogy.

We explore how analogous Pliocene temperature and precipitation change is to a range of future climate scenarios. The strength of the Pliocene as an analogue is found to be highly dependent on a number of factors, including the climate variable and the spatial and temporal scales of interest.

📢 Paper alert: An assessment of the Pliocene as an analogue for our warmer future 📢

The final paper of my PhD is now published in Global and Planetary Change! Available open access: doi.org/10.1016/j.gl...

Thanks so much, Izzy!!

I am thrilled to be joining @metoffice.bsky.social as a Scientist in the ‘Application Ready Data’ team!

Sitting within the Scalable Climate Services programme, I am looking forward to using my scientific expertise to deliver tangible services that will positively impact customers across sectors 🌍

Job Opportunity at University of Leeds: Research Fellow in Palaeoclimate Modelling This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.Are you interested in helping to i...

Palaeo folks looking for post docs! There is an excellent four-year Research Fellow in Palaeoclimate Modelling post open in @envleeds.bsky.social, working with Dr Julia Tindall and Prof Alan Haywood.

Full details: jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

⏰ Application deadline: Friday 28 February 2025.

Thank you soo much!!

a woman in a graduation cap and gown is speaking into a microphone and says not the type of doctor you would want around ALT: a woman in a graduation cap and gown is speaking into a microphone and says not the type of doctor you would want around

I am hugely grateful to my examiners, supervisors, and everyone else in my village for creating such a supportive environment from which I have now emerged as Dr Burton! (9/end)

I am so proud of the research produced throughout my PhD, and to have successfully defended my PhD as a person who stammers. My viva lasted almost four hours and talking confidently for that length of time has felt like an impossibility many times throughout my PhD. (8/9)

The final results chapter is a critical assessment of the Pliocene as a palaeoclimate ‘analogue’ for future temperature and precipitation change, comparing PlioMIP2 outputs to SSPs from IPCC AR6.

Currently in review in Global and Planetary Change – stay tuned! (7/9)

The role of atmospheric CO2 in controlling sea surface temperature change during the Pliocene Abstract. We present the role of CO2 forcing in controlling Late Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) change using six models from Phase 2 of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP2) an...

The seasonal variation of sea surface temperature and influence of CO2 is also presented, as well as new site-specific estimates of climate sensitivity.

Also published in Climate of the Past: cp.copernicus.org/articles/20/... (6/9)

The second results chapter builds on the first, using the same methodology to understand the role of CO2 in sea surface temperature change at specific proxy data sites. The influence of CO2 greatly varies between sites, but predominantly drives 17 of 19 sites considered. (5/9)

On the climatic influence of CO2 forcing in the Pliocene Abstract. Understanding the dominant climate forcings in the Pliocene is crucial to assessing the usefulness of the Pliocene as an analogue for our warmer future. Here, we implement a novel yet simple...

The first uses a novel method to assess the influence of CO2 in the Pliocene. CO2 is found to predominantly force temperature, sea surface temperature, and precipitation change but its influence varies spatially.

Published in Climate of the Past: cp.copernicus.org/articles/19/... (4/9)

My thesis, “The importance of CO2 forcing in the Pliocene and its implications for the future”, will be available open access shortly, but here’s a quick summary of the results chapters 👇(3/9)

I have so many people to thank for their wisdom, support and guidance over the past four years. It has taken a village.

Special thanks also to my examiners, Ruža and Mark, for such interesting, positive discussions in my viva! (2/9)

I passed my PhD viva yesterday! 🥳

I am still on cloud nine and trying to find the words to describe the past four years, and past 24 hours! (1/9)

Four people sat at a table smiling towards the camera. A laptop on the table shows a fourth person smiling.

The last supervision meeting of my PhD. Could not be more grateful to my wonderful supervisory team!

Hi, I'm Lauren!

I just submitted my PhD thesis in palaeoclimate science and its applications to future climate change. I usually post about climate, science communication, and stammering.

Currently in Leeds, UK, and looking for opportunities post-PhD. I'd love to connect and say hello 👋

Lauren holding her PhD thesis. Lauren is a white woman with shoulder length brown curly hair and glasses. The thesis has a green cover and is titled "The importance of CO2 forcing in the Pliocene and its implications for the future".

Hello Bluesky 👋 time for a proper introduction...

I'm Lauren. I'm finishing up my PhD at @envleeds.bsky.social and submitted my thesis in September, on palaeoclimate science and its applications for future climate change.

I usually post about climate, science communication, and stammering 🌍

Thank you, these are very helpful!

I was also lucky enough to co-author a science highlights article for this edition of the magazine alongside Heather Ford, Sze-Ling Ho, Debs Tangunan, Sindia Sosdian, Tamara Fletcher, and Erin McClymont.

That article is also available open access 👉 pastglobalchanges.org/publications...

The role of atmospheric CO2 in controlling sea surface temperature change during the Pliocene Abstract. We present the role of CO2 forcing in controlling Late Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) change using six models from Phase 2 of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP2) an...

So pleased to see that the second chapter of my PhD has been selected as a featured publication in the latest Past Global Changes #PAGES magazine!

The paper is available open access in Climate of the Past 👉 cp.copernicus.org/articles/20/...

Lauren, Cat and Laura after recording the podcast. They are sitting at a table and smiling.

Three of our researchers are the latest guests on the
Royal Geographical Society ‘Ask the Geographer’ podcast! They were discussing our similarly-named 'Ask A Climate Researcher' project 🎙️

Hear what Lauren Burton, Cat Scott and Laura Wainman had to say: soundcloud.com/rgsibg/the-a...