N. (Nomikos) Skyllas, MSc
Research interests
I love working at the interface between climate science and ecology. It requires good social skills in order to approach and speak the language of scientists from different disciplines, a love for constant learning as deepening your knowledge in two different fields can be challenging, and finally the "glue" that brings it all together: technical skills. Data analysis, statistics, and programming are common languages spoken by climate scientists and ecologists.
During my PhD, I study how the environment influences their migratory routes, how the Arctic climate and its variability are expected to change in the future, and finally, I model potential vegetation changes in the Arctic. All of the above are important for migratory birds, especially the ones breeding in the Arctic.
I use the most recent and accurate global climate models (CMIP6) and I combine them with bird-tracking data and satellite products. Furthermore, I perform my own climate model experiments (EC-Earth) and collect/deploy tracking devices in the Arctic (Svalbard). Finally, I downscale specific variables from global climate models to the required regions and resolutions, mainly in collaboration with bird ecologists from our consortium (Vulnerability of Arctic migratory birds to rapid climate change, NWO).