Dr. Katie Facer-Childs

Keywords:  Hydrology, Forecasting, Outlook, Drought, Modelling, Global Hydrology Modelling, Catchment Hydrology, Uncertainty, Parameters, Hydrological Status and Reporting, Reconstruction, airGR, Hydrometeorological Services, Climate Change.

I joined UKCEH in October 2014, working for the Hydrological Status and Outlooks Group at Wallingford.

I work primarily on hydrological forecasting and am working on the development of several web services to communicate hydrological status and risk. I am co-leading the NC-International task on global adaptation, including the global Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS) that is being co-developed with with the World Meteorological Organization and local stakeholders, and the application of ULYSSES multi-model global seasonal forecasting products in international science. I lead a team within the operational UK Hydrological Outlooks, and regularly produce the public facing summary of the outlook, synthesizing the more technical results. I am also co-leading the "Applications" task of the HydroJULES project, delivering integrated hydroclimate datasets and information products to the community, and developing seasonal forecasting techniques and applications. 

Another large part of my research in is drought. I led the Defra funded RADAR project, reviewing approaches to drought communication. In previous years, I have acted as UKCEH PI for the UK Drought and Water Scarcity ‘IMPETUS’ project (NE/L010267/1). I also led the hydrological reconstructions that were conducted as part of the RCUK Drought and Water Scarcity Programme (DWS) ‘Historic Droughts’ project, developing a modelling framework and generating 125-year streamflow time-series for 303 catchments across the UK.

Alongside my analytical research, I have published on methods of quantifying and communicating uncertainty for decision making.  I also published an interactive web application using the R programming software to allow users to explore the hydrological reconstructions that were produced under the Historic Droughts project. I am also experienced in art and graphic design, so have applicable skills in the production of materials appropriate for non-scientific audiences.

​​​​​​Recent Conference Attendance and International Meetings:

• American Geophysical Union, ONLINE - Dec 2021 (Poster Presentation)
• European Geosciences Union, ONLINE - April 2021 (Session co-convenor)
• Understanding Risk Conference, ONLINE - Dec 2020
• European Geosciences Union, ONLINE – May 2020 (Oral Presentation & Session co-convenor)
• HydroSOS Technical Workshop, Nanjing, China - November 2019 (Workshop co-lead)
• International Water Association Young Water Professionals Conference, Edinburgh - June, 2019 (Poster Presentation *AWARD*)
• Ensemble Hydrological Prediction Short Course, Boulder, Colordao, NCAR - May 2019
• European Geosciences Union, Vienna – April 2019 (Keynote Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation