Curriculum Vitae

http://www.nerc-essc.ac.uk/~jdb/cv.html

Personal details

• Full Name: Jonathan David Blower
• Nationality: British
• Contact details: j.d.blower@reading.ac.uk

Research interests

As the Technical Director of the Reading e-Science Centre (ReSC) my main interests lie in the application of e-Science methods to the environmental sciences. I have been actively involved in building collaborations with partners in academia, government agencies and industry.

A common theme through these projects is the use of open standards, particularly those from the Open Geospatial Consortium. I have created a Web Map Service that provides fast visualization of ocean data, with a novel web-based front end. I am particularly interested in how these open standards that are designed for professional use can be used in conjunction with commodity software such as Google Earth to provide very easy-to-use visualization solutions for scientific data.

I retain a strong interest in physical volcanology, the subject of my Ph.D. In particular I am interested in the physics of volcanic degassing processes, including bubble growth and permeable flow and their impact upon volcanic eruption dynamics.

Employment history

• November 2003-present, Technical Director of the Reading e-Science Centre
• March-November 2003, e-Science Research Fellow, ESSC, University of Reading
• March 2001-January 2003, Analyst Programmer, Tessella Support Services plc

Education history

• 1997-2001 PhD, University of Bristol.
  Project was entitled "Degassing Processes in Volcanic Eruptions" and mostly involved numerical modelling of volcanic processes. (Link to thesis)
• 1994-1997: MA, University of Cambridge
  First Class Degree in Natural Sciences (Geological Sciences). Awarded the Harkness Scholarship (inc. £5000 research grant) for obtaining the highest mark in the University in the final Geological Sciences examinations.
• 1987-1994: Wolverhampton Grammar School
  1994: 5 A-levels at Grade A (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, General Studies), 1 A/S level at Grade B (English Literature)
  1992: 2 Additional levels at Grade A (Mathematics, French)
  1991-2: 10 GCSEs at Grade A

Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications

• Gemmell A.L., G.C. Smith, K. Haines, J.D. Blower: Validation of ocean model syntheses against hydrography using a new web application, Journal of Operational Oceanography, 2 (2009) 29-41
• Blower J.D., F. Blanc, M. Clancy, P. Cornillon, C. Donlon, P. Hacker, K. Haines, S. C. Hankin, T. Loubrieu, S. Pouliquen, M. Price, T.F. Pugh, A. Srinivasan: Serving GODAE Data and Products to the Ocean Community, Oceanography, 22 (2009), 70-79
• Blower J.D., K. Haines, A. Santokhee, C. Liu: Godiva2: Interactive visualization of environmental data on the web, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. A, 367 (2009), 1035-9
• Bretherton D., J.D. Blower, K. Haines, G. Smith: Running Climate Models on Grids using G-Rex, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. A, 367 (2009), 847-53
• Haines, K., J.D. Blower, C.L. Liu, A. Santokhee: Delivering NCOF operational marine data through the Internet, Journal of Operational Oceanography, 1 (2008) 35-39
• Blower J.D., A. Harrison, K. Haines: Styx Grid Services: Lightweight middleware for efficient scientific workflows, Scientific Programming, 14 (2006) 209-216 [article]
• Blower J.D., A. Harrison, K. Haines: Styx Grid Services: lightweight, easy-to-use middleware for scientific workflows, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 3993 (2006) 996-1003. DOI: 10.1007/11758532_135
• Haines, K., J.D. Blower, J-P. Drecourt, C. Liu, A.Vidard, I. Astin, X. Zhou: Salinity assimilation using S(T): Covariance relationships, Monthly Weather Review 134 (2006) 759–771. Also published as an ECMWF Technical Memorandum, 2004
• Blower J.D., J.P. Keating, H.M. Mader, J.C. Phillips: The evolution of bubble size distributions in volcanic eruptions, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 120 (2003), 1-23
• Blower J.D., H.M. Mader, S.D.R Wilson: Coupling of viscous and diffusive controls on bubble growth during explosive volcanic eruptions, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 193 (2001) 47-56
• Blower J.D: Factors controlling permeability-porosity relationships in magma, Bulletin of Volcanology 63 (2001) 497-504
• Blower J.D., J.P. Keating, H.M. Mader, J.C. Phillips: Inferring volcanic degassing processes from vesicle size distributions, Geophysical Research Letters 28 (2001) 347-350
• Blower J.D: A three-dimensional network model of permeability in vesicular material, Computers and Geosciences 27 (2001) 115-119

Peer-Reviewed Conference Publications

• J.D. Blower: GIS in the cloud: implementing a Web Map Service on Google App Engine, Proceedings of Com.Geo 2010, in press. [paper] and [presentation]
• Jon Blower, Alastair Gemmell, Keith Haines, Peter Kirsch, Nathan Cunningham, Andrew Fleming, Roy Lowry: Sharing and visualizing environmental data using Virtual Globes, Proceedings of the UK e-Science All Hands Meeting 10-13 September 2007, pp 102-109, ISBN 978-0-9553988-3-4 [paper]
• Bryan Lawrence, Philip Kershaw, Jon Blower: Practical access control using NDG security, Proceedings of the UK e-Science All Hands Meeting 10-13 September 2007, pp 262-269, ISBN 978-0-9553988-3-4 [paper]
• Blower J.D., A. Harrison, K. Haines: Styx Grid Services: lightweight, easy-to-use middleware for scientific workflows, International Conference on Computer Science 2006, [paper]
• Blower, J.D., K. Haines, E. Llewellin: Data streaming, workflow and firewall-friendly Grid Services with Styx, Proceedings of the UK e-Science Meeting 2005, S.J. Cox and D.W. Walker (Eds.) ISBN 1-904425-53-4 [paper]
• Blower, J.D., K. Haines, A.D. Santokhee: Composing workflows in the environmental sciences using Inferno, Proceedings of the UK e-Science Meeting 2004, S.J. Cox (Ed.) ISBN 1-904425-21-6 [paper]
• Blower, J.D., K. Haines, C.L. Liu, A. Woolf, K. Liu, A.D. Santokhee, Y. Zhao: GADS: Using Web Services to access large data sets, Proceedings of the UK e-Science Meeting 2003 S.J. Cox (Ed.) ISBN 1-904425-11-9 [paper]

Selected other conference presentations

• Alastair Gemmell, Jon Blower, Keith Haines, Greg Smith, Using Virtual Globes and a Java web Application to Visualize and Compare Ocean Observations and Model Data, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract IN42A-04 [Zipped PPT and movies] (choose 'save to disk', then extract files, then open PPT)
• Gregory C. Smith, Keith Haines, Dan Lea, Jon Blower, Alastair Gemmell, Ben McDonald: Reconstructing global ocean variability using a physically-based data assimilation method, Proceedings of the Royal Meteorological Society Conference, 3-6 September 2007 [abstract]
• Jon Blower, Dan Bretherton, Keith Haines, Chunlei Liu, Adit Santokhee: Exploring Large Marine Datasets Using an Interactive Website and Google Earth, Eos Trans. AGU, 87(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract ED23C-08, 2006 [abstract] [download presentation]
• Jon Blower, Dan Bretherton, Keith Haines, Chunlei Liu, Chris Rawlings, Adit Santokhee, Ian Smith: Using Google Earth in Marine Research and Operational Decision Support, Eos Trans. AGU, 87(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract IN43A-0903, 2006 [abstract] [download poster]
• Llewellin, E.W., J.D. Blower, M.D. Mantle: Gas Flow in Volcanic Rocks: Lattice-Boltzmann Simulations of Porosity-Permeability Relationships, Eos Trans. AGU, 86(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract V34B-02, 2005 [abstract] [presentation]
• Santokhee, A., C.L. Liu, J.D. Blower, K. Haines, I. Barrodale, E.Davies: Managing and serving large volumes of gridded spatial environmental data, Proceedings of the 11th EC GI & GIS Workshop, ESDI: Setting the framework 2005 [abstract]
• Blower, J.D., K. Haines, C.L. Liu, A.D. Santokhee: GADS: a Web Service for accessing large environmental data sets, EOGEO international workshop (http://www.eogeo.org), London, June 23-25 2004 [presentation]
• Blower, J.D., J.P. Keating, H.M. Mader, J.C. Phillips: Fractal bubble size distributions: implications for volcanic processes, IAVCEI General Assembly, Bali, Indonesia, July 2000 (oral presentation)
• Blower, J.D., H.M. Mader and J.C. Phillips: Production of experimental pyroclasts by explosive vesiculation of a viscous liquid, IUGG, Birmingham, UK, 1999 (poster presentation)
• Blower, J.D., H.M. Mader and J.C. Phillips: Explosive degassing of a viscous liquid: Work in Progress, VMSG, Birmingham, UK, 1999 (poster presentation)

Investigatorships

• Principal Investigator, MashMyData (NERC Technology Proof-of-Concept), 2010-11
• Principal Investigator, BlogMyData (aka "SocialGodiva", JISC Virtual Research Environment Rapid Innovation), 2010
• Principal Investigator, SHAVER (SHAring and Visualizing large-volume EnviRonmental science data, NERC Knowledge Transfer project)
• Co-Investigator, South-East Regional e-Research Consortium (SEReRC)
• Co-Investigator, Grid for Coupled Ensemble Prediction (NERC e-Science project)

Teaching

• Co-supervisor for Iona McIntosh (PhD, Durham Earth Sciences, 2009-)
• Internal examiner, Jessica Hole (ESSC), 2007; Henry Odbert (ESSC), 2009
• Member of PhD monitoring committee for Cat Hayer, Henry Odbert, Jessica Hole, Alina Hale (all ESSC)
• Co-supervisor for four MSc studentship projects in Computer Science, 2003-9

Awards

• "Best paper" award at 2007 UK e-Science Meeting (Blower et al., 2007, above)

Committee membership

• Member of the Programme Committee for the IEEE e-Science conference, 2010
• Member of the Programme Committee for the e-Science All Hands Meeting, 2005-2010 (Theme Leader for Environment and Earth Sciences Theme, 2009)
• Member of the Programme Committee for the 2007 Royal Meteorological Society Conference
• Half-member of the NERC Peer Review College, 2008-2011
• Member of the Project Board for the NERC Data Grid, 2008-9
• Member of Reference Group (external advisory board) for the Marine and Climate Data Discovery and Access Project (Australia), 2009-present
• Member of Advisory Board for the EU FP7 NETMAR project (Open service NETwork for MARine environmental data)

Other qualifications

• Completed "Software Engineering" module of the Open University's "Computing for Commerce and Industry" MSc (passed with distinction), 2002