Erik Mackie is a climate scientist by background, with research interests in climate change, physical oceanography, sea-level rise and climate risk. He received his BSc (Hons) in Applied Mathematics from the University of Edinburgh, and completed his PhD joint between the University of Bristol and the British Antarctic Survey, using high-resolution satellite altimetry observations to investigate the circulation of the Southern Ocean and the frontal positions of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Subsequently, he completed a postdoctoral position in the Polar Oceans Team at the British Antarctic Survey.

He is an experienced science communicator, and has worked as a Policy Fellow at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology in Westminster, where he authored a POSTnote on Rising Sea Levels for the UK Parliament. At Cambridge Zero, he is the Engagement Manager for all research-related activities, working with researchers from across Cambridge and beyond to coordinate and deliver interdisciplinary research activities, events, and funding proposals related to climate change and net-zero. He is also a Climate Risk Fellow for the UK Universities Climate Network.

What is your favourite thing about being part of Cambridge Zero or the University of Cambridge? 

I love the huge diversity of topics, disciplines and research areas that we get to work on at Cambridge Zero! There's such a huge range of expertise across the University, and it is very exciting and a privilege to learn about new things every day!

What do you think is our biggest environmental challenge? 

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 2ºC (or ideally below!) is undoubtedly humanity's biggest challenge!

What gets you out of bed (and into work) in the morning? 

The enthusiasm and determination of staff and students across Cambridge University to play their part in finding solutions to the climate crisis is inspiring, and drives me to do my bit as well! 

Publications

Summers, T., Mackie, E., et al. (2022), "Localized impacts and economic implications from high temperature disruption days under climate change", https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cli2.35  

Mackie, E. (2021), "Tipping Points in the Earth System", https://www.cambridge.org/engage/coe/article-details/61b0c47c476fcd37240b7c05

Thomas, S., ..., Mackie, E., et al. (2021), "Defining Southern Ocean fronts using unsupervised classification", https://os.copernicus.org/articles/17/1545/2021/

Malliaraki, E., ..., Mackie, E., et al. (2020), "Climate aware and resilient national security: Challenges for the 21st Century", https://www.turing.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-12/august_2020_climate_aware_and_resilient_national_security_turing_designed.pdf 

Mackie, E., Shuckburgh, E., et al. (2020), "How climate change is affecting sea levels", https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.3716