John is Chief Scientist for Multi-hazards and Resilience in BGS and has research interests in the characterization of multi-hazards in relation to environmental change and associated risks. He is also Chair of the Science Strategy Group.
Previously he worked for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) where he was responsible for building trans-disciplinary research and partnerships relating to the Resilience to environmental shocks and hazards portfolio of the UK Global Challenges Research Fund. Before this he was both the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Risk Research Champion and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Natural Hazards Theme Leader. In the latter role he led the UN Major Group for Science and Technology leading up to the Sendai Framework. He was educated at Sheffield University and Trinity College, Dublin, and is a visiting Professor at Leicester University.
John Rees’s Biography
- 2013 –2015 : Co-Lead of the Science and Technology Major Group, United Nations (Sendai Framework)
- 2013 – ongoing : Risk Research Coordinator, RCUK, UK
- 2007 –2013 : Natural Hazards Theme Leader & Science Champion, NERC, UK
- 2005 –2007 : Head of Corporate Policy and Science Coordination, BGS, UK
- 2000 –2004 : Manager Coastal Geoscience & Global Change Programme, BGS, UK
- 1994 –1999 : Coastal and Engineering Geology Group, BGS, UK
- 1986 –1994 : Central England and Wales Group, BGS, UK
- 1985 –1984 : Irish Cement Ltd. Ireland
- 1982 –1984 : PhD, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- 1979 –1982 : BSc (Hons) Geology, University of Sheffield, UK
Research interests
- Acoustics
- Coastal science
- Earth systems science
- Gas hydrates
- Natural Hazards
- Science into government
Current projects and collaborations
- UK Collaborative for Development Science: Disaster Risk Reduction Group (Chair
Publications
NERC Open Research Archive — Prof John Rees
More than 100 peer reviewed papers, book chapters, generalist articles, maps and reports
- Key Papers
- DAWSON, RJ, DICKSON, ME, NICHOLLS, RJ, HALL, JW, WALKDEN, MJA, STANSBY, P, MOKRECH, M, RICHARDS, J, ZHOU, J, MILLIGAN, J, JORDAN, A, PEARSON, S, REES, JG, BATES, P, KOUKOULAS, S, and WATKINSON, A. 2009. Integrated analysis of risks of coastal flooding and cliff erosion under scenarios of long term change, Climatic Change, 95, 249-288.
- REES, JG, GIBSON, A, HARRISON, M, HUGHES, AG, and WALSBY, JC. 2009. Regional modelling of geohazard change. In Culshaw, MG, Reeves, HJ, Jefferson, I and Spink, TW. Engineering Geology for Tomorrow’s Cities. Geological Society, London, Engineering Geology Special Publication, 22, 49-63.
- ROCHELLE, CA, CAMPS, AP, LONG, D, MILODOWSKI A, BATEMAN, K, GUNN, D, JACKSON, PD, LOVELL, MA and REES JG. 2009. Can CO2 hydrate assist in the underground storage of carbon dioxide? In Long, D, Lovell, MA, Rees, JG and Rochelle, CA (editors). Sediment-hosted Gas Hydrates: New insights on Natural and Synthetic Systems. Geological Society Special Publications. 319, 171-183.
- ASSOUS, S, JACKSON, PD, HOPPER, C, GUNN, DA, REES, JG AND LOVELL, MA. 2008. Bat-inspired distance measurements using phase information. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 124, 2596-2598.
- LAMB, A, VANE, CH, REES, JG, WILSON, GP and MOSS-HAYES, VL. 2007. Assessing d13C and C/N ratios from stored organic material as Holocene sea-level and palaeoenvironmental indicators in the Humber Estuary, UK. Marine Geology, 244, 109-128
- TOWNEND, IH, WANG, ZB, and REES, JG. 2007. Millennial to annual Volume changes in the Humber Estuary. Phil. Trans. R.Soc. 463, 387-854.
Skills
- Science leadership
Qualifications
- 2008 – ongoing : Visiting Professor, Petrophysics, Leicester University, UK
- 1994 – ongoing : Chartered Geologist (1994-), Chartered Scientist (2003-)
Awards
- 2012 : Co-Recipient of the Lloyds Science of Risk Award
Professional associations
- 2008 – ongoing : Member of American Geophysical Union
- 2008 – ongoing : Visiting Chair (Geology), Leicester University
- 2006 –2007 : Visiting Fellow (Petrophysics), Leicester University
- 2003 – ongoing : Chartered Scientist
- 1994 – ongoing : Chartered Geologist
- 1988 – ongoing : Member of the Geological Society