David Stainforth

David Stainforth is a Professorial Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an Honorary Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick. A physicist by training, he co-founded the climateprediction.net project at Oxford University and has focused on climate modeling, uncertainty quantification, and decision-making under deep uncertainty.

• Primary Affiliation: Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, LSE
• Honorary Professor: Department of Physics, University of Warwick

Research Interests: Stainforth investigates uncertainty in climate modeling, nonlinear dynamical systems, and climate economics. His work bridges climate science and policy analysis, emphasizing the challenges of linking climate projections to societal decision-making. He critiques the use of probability distributions in climate projections and advocates for restructuring academic research to better address climate change’s interdisciplinary challenges.

Scientific Contributions: His recent work focuses on parametric uncertainty in climate models, economic damages from temperature variability, and assessing regional climate information. Key trends in his articles include nonlinear climate responses, integrated assessment models, and innovative approaches to adaptation planning.

Scientific Awards:

• Lloyds Science of Risk Prize 2021 for research on temperature variability and economic damages
• NERC Research Fellowship
• Tyndall Research Fellowship

Advising and Grants: Stainforth collaborates extensively with researchers like Raphael Calel, Suraje Dessai, and Erica Thompson on climate policy, economic assessments, and uncertainty frameworks. His projects often involve interdisciplinary grants and large-scale climate modeling experiments.

Labs and Teams: He co-founded and led the climateprediction.net project, the world’s largest climate modeling experiment. He contributes to initiatives like the UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) and decision-making under uncertainty frameworks.