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Hire Dr. Stephen S.

United Kingdom

USD 75 /hr

Freelance science writer and editor, focus on earth sciences, climate change, policy, operations & spatial data

Profile Summary

I have a background in physical geography (MA at the University of Oxford), earth sciences (PhD at the Open University, UK) and IT management (IT training, support, programming, software development management). I have technical expertise in climate change (particularly adaptation), disaster risk/natural hazards, policy development, disaster management and response, hydrology, hydrogeology, karst systems, and spatial data. I've worked in consultancy, for national government, regional government, academia and private industry. My experience includes working in UK (10 years), Australia (7 years), New Zealand (13 years) and on contract/in research in Senegal, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Samoa and the Cook Islands. I've set up environmental monitoring systems in New Zealand and Africa, and managed the installation of equipment and training for staff undertaking this work. I've undertaken an Environmental Impact Statement and associated management documents for a major mine in West Africa, and been involved in due diligence negotiations for investors for that mine. I've extensive experience as a scientific reviewer and editor, particularly in the earth sciences. I've worked with Comms teams to develop regional and national publications, and I've edited for international publishers. I've also developed systems and processes for science management, budget management, project management, data management and sharing, and report management. I have extensive experience with risk management systems (I contributed to New Zealand Standard NZS9401:2008 Managing Flood Risk - A Process Standard). I've advised government ministers on climate change adaptation and disaster risk/natural hazards, and been the lead scientist in a regional government too. I've been involved in international UNFCCC meetings and collaborated with overseas governments on climate change issues. I've worked extensively with communities and stakeholders on natural hazards, flood risk, environmental monitoring and community-based science, and developed markets for spatial data processing. I hold an Innovation Patent in Australia for work my team and I completed on techniques to manage and analyse extremely large volumes of LiDAR data. I managed a team that developed novel software to process LiDAR and other spatial data - for which I was product manager.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ★ Climate Science
• ★ Disaster Relief
• ☆ Software Architecture
• ☆ Earth & Atmospheric Science
• ☆ Mining
• ☆ Geography & Cartography
• ☆ Geographic Information Systems
• ☆ Hydrology
• ☆ Environmental Policy
• ☆ Local Politics & Government

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Consulting
• Data & AI
• Product Development

Writing Technical Writing, Newswriting

Research Feasibility Study, Fact Checking, Gray Literature Search, Systematic Literature Review

Consulting Scientific and Technical Consulting

Data & AI Statistical Analysis, Algorithm Design-Non ML

Product Development Formulation

Work Experience

Science Manager

University of Leicester

July 2019 - June 2020

Science Manager

University of Leicester

June 2019 - June 2020

Environmental Science Manager

Hawke's Bay Regional Council

March 2014 - May 2019

Manager Geosystems

Umwelt (Australia) Pty Ltd

June 2012 - February 2014

Principal Consultant

Umwelt (Australia) Pty Ltd

March 2009 - June 2012

Senior Operator (Principal Advisor)

Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand

April 2007 - February 2009

Natural Hazards Manager

Otago Regional Council (New Zealand)

June 2003 - March 2007

Senior Hydrogeologist

SKM Consultants New Zealand

May 2002 - May 2003

Temporary Lecturer

University of Auckland

July 1998 - April 2002

Education

PhD Earth Sciences - "Rates of Natural Climate Change - A Study of Speleothems"

The Open University

September 1992 - February 1996

MA Geography

University of Oxford

October 1989 - June 1992

Certifications

• PhD (Earth Sciences)

  Open University

  August 1992 - Present

• Master of Arts (Geography)

  University of Oxford

  October 1989 - Present

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Trevor H. Worthy, Stephen E.J. Swabey(2002). Avifaunal changes revealed in Quaternary deposits near Waitomo Caves, North Island, New Zealand . Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 32. (2). p. 293--325. Informa {UK} Limited

Stephen E.J. Swabey(2002). The Nature of the Environment . New Zealand Geographer. 58. (1). p. 53--54. Wiley

P. A. Bland, A. Conway, T. B. Smith, F. J. Berry, S. E. J. Swabey, C. T. Pillinger(1998). Calculating flux from meteorite decay rates: a discussion of problems encountered in deciphering a 105{\textendash}106 year integrated meteorite flux at Allan Hills and a new approach to pairing . Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 140. (1). p. 43--58. Geological Society of London

A.J.L. HARRIS, S.E.J. SWABEY, J. HIGGINS(1995). Automated thresholding of active lavas using {AVHRR} data . International Journal of Remote Sensing. 16. (18). p. 3681--3686. Informa {UK} Limited

BOOK

Chapter introductions to Bradley, B (2000) "NZ From Space".