Christopher John Scott (né Davis) is a British scientist and professor of space and atmospheric physics at the
University of Reading.[1] His research focuses on the boundary and links between the atmosphere and space. He is the former project scientist for the
Heliospheric Imager instruments on
NASA's twin
STEREO spacecraft.[2][3]
Scott's primary research focus is on the
ionosphere, particularly perturbations from below by atmospheric phenomenon. Scott was the first scientist to demonstrate
lightning effects on the '
sporadic E' layer; transient, localized patches of relatively high electron density in the mid-ionosphere, which significantly affect radio-wave propagation.[6] He subsequently investigated the relation between
lightning occurrence and magnetic structures in the
solar wind.[7][8][9][10][11] Scott has also used novel datasets to study how pressure waves from the lower atmosphere can lead to disturbances in the ionosphere, most notably using records of the London
BlitzWorld War II bombing raids and ionospheric measurements from
Slough.[12][13][14][15][16]
Using the
Heliospheric Imager instruments on the
STEREO spacecraft, Scott made the first observations of a
solar eruption tracked continuously from the Sun to the Earth.[17]
Public outreach and citizen science
Scott is actively involved in the public communication and promotion of science. He has made numerous appearances on TV and radio, most notably the BBC’s
Sky at Night,[18]Newsnight,
BBC Radio 4’s Today programme,[19] BBC2's James May's Man Lab,[20]ITN news, and the
Discovery Channel. He was science adviser for episode 1 of the BBC series ‘Seven Wonders of the Solar System’