Curriculum Vitae

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

Personal details

• Full Name: Jonathan David Blower
• Nationality: British
• Contact details: jdb@mail.nerc-essc.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. Current collaborators on ReSC projects include the Met Office, the British Atmospheric Data Centre, British Maritime Technology, Lost Wax, IBM and Schlumberger.

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.

As well as working within the environmental sciences community, I am interested in how Grid computing can be made easier to use by all scientists with little technical background. I have developed the Styx Grid Services software, which aims to make Grids as easy to use as ordinary desktop machines.

I retain a strong interest in physical volcanology, the subject of my Ph.D. My current work is concerned mainly with computer modelling of the flow of gas through permeable volcanic rocks and how this process affects 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

Refereed 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

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)
• 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]
• 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]
• 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]
• 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]
• 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]
• 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, 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.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., 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]
• 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, 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

• Internal examiner, Jessica Hole (ESSC), 2007; Henry Odbert (ESSC), 2009
• Member of PhD monitoring committee for Henry Odbert, Jessica Hole and 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 e-Science All Hands Meeting, 2005-2009 (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