A scientist by training with a lifelong love of art.
Most PhD students will experience challenging moments during their PhD. My way to cope with these harder times was to bring together two of my passions: science & art. I started by making small doodles of work-related activities, and gradually, I began creating bigger artworks to communicate my PhD topic to a wide audience and started this blog to share my latest SciArtistic projects with you.
I grew up in a family of artists and art has always been a part of my life. But when I started studying science at University, I put art aside, thinking I had to focus on the science I do. Ironically, art is the reason I am a Dr. today. As time went by, art developed into more than a simple and fun tool to communicate my research, and a beautiful symbiosis between the science and the art I do began to emerge. Through my art, I got a new perspective on science, learning to write better scientific papers, and challenging the way I (and the scientific community) have been tackling challenges in the field. Science has in turn inspired my artistic practice. I find the combination of science & art (SciArt) a fascinating process.
I recently finished my PhD on The Art of Streamflow Forecasting over Europe at the University of Reading and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Reading (UK). I am now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Saskatchewan Coldwater Lab in Canmore (Alberta, Canada). My research focuses on forecasting the water flow in North American rivers weeks to months in advance. I do this using our understanding of the water cycle, mathematical equations and supercomputers. This work is useful as it can help us predict floods & droughts longer in advance! As part of my Postdoc., I also explore the fusion of SciArt to engage with a wide audience on water-related topics.
I am the founder & lead curator of the Virtual Water Gallery and an Editor of ConciliARTe, the science & audio-visual arts section of the Consilience Journal.
I am open to collaborations & discussions!
Louise