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Prof Myles Allen appointed Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment at Gresham College

May 24, 2022

Professor Myles Allen, Director of Oxford Net Zero and professor of Geosystem Science at the University of Oxford, has been appointed Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment by Gresham College, London’s oldest Higher Education Institution. 

Professor Allen becomes the third Environment Professor that the Frank Jackson Foundation has sponsored, and will continue the 425-year-old tradition of delivering free lectures aimed at the public within the City of London and beyond.

“I am delighted to be giving a series of lectures on Net Zero, looking at the science behind it, how climate impacts are emerging, and when and how we need to act to turn things around.” – Prof Myles Allen

Gresham College live streams lectures online and delivers them to physical audiences in London, with over 8 million views of lectures online last year and more than 2,500 past lectures are freely available to view on their website.

Professor Allen said: “Everyone has agreed that Net Zero is a good idea, without necessarily agreeing what it means, still less on how to get there. I am delighted to be giving a series of lectures on this theme, looking at the science behind it, how climate impacts are emerging, and when and how we need to act to turn things around.”

Professor Myles Allen

His talks will aim to reduce the problem to its essentials: “how to stop fossil fuels from causing further global warming – [which] should help you form your own views on which policies are actually going to work,” said Professor Allen, who is part of the School of Geography and the Environment and Department of Physics at Oxford.

In 2022-3, Professor Allen will be lecturing about Net Zero:

  • Lecture 1: Why Net Zero?
  • Lecture 2: The Atmospheric Physics Behind Net Zero
  • Lecture 3: The Ocean Physics Behind Net Zero
  • Lecture 4: The Carbon Cycle Behind Net Zero
  • Lecture 5: The Trillionth Tonne of Carbon – and Why It Matters For Climate Change
  • Lecture 6: How The World Agreed On Net Zero

Dr Simon Thurley, Provost of Gresham College, said:

“We are delighted to appoint Professor Myles Allen as Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment. He is a talented communicator and will be a real asset to the College.”

Dr Wendy Piatt, CEO of Gresham College, said:

“Climate change is one of the biggest environmental issues of our time so we are thrilled to welcome Professor Myles Allen, the architect of Net Zero, to Gresham.”

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