Timothy Spain

Scientific Software Developer

Tim Spain works as a Scientific Software Developer. He obtained his PhD in physics at the University of Oxford (U.K.) in 2012 with a thesis on the modelling of palaeoclimates. Having previously worked as a researcher using geophysical models of palaeoclimates and the Earth’s upper atmosphere, he has more recently worked as a developer of scientific software relating to topics as diverse as synchrotron data analysis, astrophysical modelling, and traffic pattern analysis.

Tim Spain focuses on developing scientific software that is useful, usable, maintainable, and well-documented. He has a particular interest in modelling large-scale systems, especially geo- and astrophysical fluid dynamical systems. He is also interested in polar science including both ice and the aurora. Since 2021 he has been working at the Nansen Center on updating and streamlining the neXtSIM sea-ice model. A high-quality sea-ice model will provide essential insights into the changing Arctic climate by predicting changes to the polar ocean’s most obvious feature: the sea-ice sheet.

  • Modelling
  • Sea ice
  • Software engineering