What is Sally's background?
Sally really enjoyed learning about the environment at school, particularly in geography. However, she found geography didn't provide enough answers as to why things happened in the environment. To provide answers to her questions, Sally looked to physics to help provide explanations. After taking A levels in Geography, Physics and Maths, she went on to study Geophysical Sciences. However, Sally was never entirely satisfied with learning about science, and wanted to understand more about its application. She found this through engineering. She went on to study MRes Coastal Engineering for Climate Change, which combined both of her interests in geology and climate change. Her dissertation analysed the role of defences and cliff retreat at Barton-on-Sea, Christchurch Bay. At the end of the year she extended her research into a PhD, analysing other cliffed environments in Holderness and Norfolk. In 2008 Sally started working as a Research Fellow, and became Senior Research Fellow in 2015. She now has broad interests in science and engineering in coastal zones.
Which PhD students does Sally supervise?
Sally supervises and advises four PhD students:
Sally also maintains collaborations with Jiayi Fang of Beijing Normal University who was a visiting PhD student for 18 months in Southampton whilst studying the impacts of sea-level rise in China.
If you are able to attract your own funding (or partial funding), and would like to undertake a PhD under Sally's supervision, please contact her. Dr Brown is particularly interested to hear from students who are interested in shoreline management, impacts or adaptation of sea-level rise (e.g. physical effects, health), subsidence and coastal geomorphology, in any geographic location.
How does Sally disseminate her science and engineering research?
Sally's science and engineering research is disseminated through a range of publications and talks at conferences (in the UK and further afield). She also presents her research in seminars at the University of Southampton, and has given numerous talks at workshops outside of the University (e.g. discussions of research project outputs in Brussels (2015), keynote talk at a sea-level rise workshop in Mallorca (2015), NCK theme day 'Regional Sea Level Change in the Netherlands (2017)). In 2016, she presented at the University of Oxford's 1.5 degree conference on her Maldivian research, at Adaptation Futures in the Netherlands, and in Shanghai and Beijing. Her research is also displayed through web atlases (e.g. Human Dynamics map, impact of a 2°C rise in temperature atlas) and in the media. Sally's research has also been presented to Maldivian ministries and the University who are concerned about sea-level rise.
What outreach events does Sally get involved in?
Sally takes part in outreach activities, such as science busking. For the past few years she has helped demonstrate physics-based activities, through the Institute of Physics, at the Dorset County Show. Dr Brown disseminates her research to the wider public (e.g. Jurassic Coast seminar day in 2014, Green Alliance workshop with Mike Thornton MP in 2014). She has also contributed to numerous blogs, such as through RealClimate and her experience from the Royal Society MP / Scientist Pairing Scheme.
What about careers and broader education?
Sally also disseminates her research and experience in schools. For example, in 2017, Sally and PhD student Amy Welch visited a Dorset school to discuss the merits of a career in coastal engineering to students. Through the Institute of Physics, Sally has contributed a careers profile, on the merits of working in coastal engineering and science. Sally has also contributed to a guest blog for Nature Careers. She has also participated as an expert in sea-level rise in a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC).
What about science just for fun?
In 2015, Sally led a paper on weather and music. This was just a bit of fun, but captured the public imagination. It was widely disseminated in the media (e.g. national and international newspapers and magazines). Her team are still collecting songs, so if you have any ideas, please let her know or add it to the list.
Does Sally speak to the media?
Yes. Dr Brown has undertaken numerous interviews and responses to the media in the UK and internationally, including for the BBC, The Times, The Telegraph, Metro, Buzzfeed, Deutsche Welle, Deutschlandfunk, phys.org, Toronto Star, RTÉ and Talk Radio Europe. Her comments have reached international audiences, including numerous European nations plus others such as Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, US, Canada, Lebanon, India, Austraila, South Africa and Pakistan.
She was contributed to pieces in The Conversation through her work on cities and hurricanes / small islands, both of which were picked up by different media outlets. She has advised on the content of books and television programmes relating to sea-level rise, flooding and erosion.
