Dr Stephen Kelly

I’m an early career ocean modeller working on the SOLSTICE project. My main research interest is marine connectivity – specifically, how spatially separated places in the ocean are connected by ocean currents.

I originally studied physics up to masters, before switching to oceanography for my PhD – both at the University of Southampton. For my PhD I specialised in Lagrangian modelling of the Arctic Ocean, and for SOLSTICE I do a similar thing but in the Indian Ocean. Currently my main research involves characterising connectivity pathways and timescales across the Western Indian Ocean, but I’ve also contributed particle-tracking experiments for research lead by other SOLSTICE scientists. This has been my favourite part of the project so far: working with amazing colleagues is the highlight of the job, and I’ve really enjoyed having a selection of different things to work on instead of one single focus. Working on such an interdisciplinary project has been brilliant for widening my academic horizons – it’s rewarding to see how my work can complement the socioeconomic side of SOLSTICE to ultimately address problems that affect people’s lives.