Artificial Intelligence Lab

The BAS AI Lab is a cross-disciplinary group of researchers leading in the application of AI and Data Science methods to advance environmental science discovery and lead the development of Digital Twins of the natural environment.

AI methods are now embedded across many areas of BAS science and engineering, including: oceanography; climate science and weather extremes; glacial change and water security; space weather monitoring; and for tracking icebergs and wildlife from space. The BAS AI Lab also lead projects under The Alan Turing Institute’s £40m AI for Science and Government research programme, including Understanding Arctic sea ice loss and Improving tracking of iceberg populations in the Southern Ocean. Through our PhD student projects we also collaborate closely with Google DeepMind, Microsoft, World Wildlife Fund, Max Fordham, Mott MacDonald and the UK Met Office.

We are currently advertising for a Principal Researcher in Environmental AI to lead activities in the BAS AI Lab and support digital innovation at NERC.

PhD opportunities 

• Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in the Application of Artificial Intelligence to the study of Environmental Risks, University of Cambridge and British Antarctic Survey
• Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Satellite Data in Environmental Science, Universities of Edinburgh and Leeds, National Oceanography Centre and British Antarctic Survey

Current PhD Student Projects

• Edward Brown, BAS/Univ. Cambridge (2020-)
  • Deep Learning for monitoring space weather and predicting hazards
• Marc Girona-Mata, BAS/Univ. Cambridge, Industry partner – Mott MacDonald (2020-)
  • AI for hydrological processes and water security
• Raghul Parthipan, BAS/Univ. Cambridge (2020-)
  • Deep Learning for improving cloud microphysical processes in climate models
• Kenza Tazi, BAS/Univ. Cambridge, Industry partner – Microsoft (2020-)
  • Multifidelity deep learning for downscaling and Himalayan water security
• Rachel Furner, BAS/Univ. Cambridge, Industry partner – Google DeepMind
  • AI for computationally challenging problems involving the ocean carbon cycle (2018-)
• Prem Gill, BAS/Univ. Cambridge, Industry partner – World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
  • Seals from Space: the study of Antarctic seals by remote sensing (2018-)
• Jon Rosser, BAS/Univ. Cambridge, Industry partner – UK Met Office
  • Causal inference for tackling climate challenges (2019-)
• Risa Ueno, BAS/Univ. Cambridge, Industry partner – Max Fordham
  • AI for understanding the impact of future climate extremes on energy resilience (2018-)

Featured reports

• The uncertain unicycle that taught itself and how it’s helping AI make good decisions
• Machine learning: the power and promise of computers that learn by example