Stephan Harrison

Professor Stephan Harrison is a globally recognized climate scientist with over 30 years of research experience in geomorphology and the impacts of climate change on high mountain glacial systems. He is a Professor of Climate and Environmental Change at the University of Exeter and currently serves as the Climate Change Lead for the UN GEO-7 Report. 

Listed among Reuters’ top global climate scientists, he has advised governments, international organizations, and NGOs—including Lloyd’s of London, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, DFID, and Oxfam—on climate risk and adaptation. He previously chaired the UK Government’s Climate Change Expert Committee (2011–2017) and Natural Hazards Risk Committee (2017–2021). 

His pioneering research includes the first 3D reconstruction of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, global assessments of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), and studies on rock glaciers as a source of water in arid regions. He has conducted fieldwork across South America, High Mountain Asia, the European Alps, and Scandinavia, and has published widely in both geomorphology and climate science. Professor Harrison holds a BSc from the University of Leicester and a PhD from the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) and continues to lead climate modelling and risk projects across Africa and Asia while speaking at major international scientific and policy forums.