Dr James Panton

Dr James Panton

Research associate in numerical weather prediction, previously in geodynamics. In my current position I am providing modelling infrastructure other software support to various projects in the Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology at the University of Cologne, whilst also learning about arctic meteorology.

Research

You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.

Postdoc at University of Cologne

I started working at the University of Cologne in March 2025. In my role here at the Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology I am keeping within the world of numerical modelling, but forking off in a different direction towards numerical weather prediction, with a focus on the arctic. My time is split working across different projects, in particular AC3 and WarmWorld. The focus of AC3 is ‘arctic amplification’ or why the arctic is warming on average twice as fast as the rest of our planet. Using ICON, I run high resolution numerical weather prediction simulations over field measurement sites, to contextualise the observations within the local weather system. The observational data also allow us to identify model short-comings, which in turn helps us in developing better parameterisations. I also provide training, offer technical support, and develop/maintain software for analysis of ICON simualtions, for example pamtra-insitu.

Research Associate Cardiff University

Previously I was working on the NERC funded grant, Mantle Circulation Constrained, lead by Huw Davies at Cardiff University. My role involed code development on TERRA (a 3D mantle convection code), developing post-processing tools, and running mantle circulation models constrained by plate reconstructions. As part of the project I collaborated with researchers from a range of disciplines to constrain the simulations with seismic tomography, seismic anisotropy, dynamic topography, geochemistry and core observations. We have developed a Python package, terratools to make post-processing and visulaisation of model results more accessible. The first all-grant paper on assessing mantle circulation models using disperate observations was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, in June 2025.

PhD

I studied as a PhD student at Cardiff University from 2016-2020 on the NERC funded Deep Volatiles project. My research involded reconicling long-standing geochemical observations in 3D numerical geodynamic models. Specific geochemical constraints considered are:

My thesis is titled ‘Advances in using three-dimensional mantle convection models to address global geochemical cycles’ and is availble here.