Kevin Cowtan

Research Database

Kevin is an interdisciplinary data scientist working in York Structural Biology Laboratory, with interests spanning data analysis problems in molecular biology and climate science as well as science communication and the motivated rejection of science.

As an undergraduate he studied theoretical physics at the University of York, and continued to do a PhD in the department. Kevin then moved to chemistry to join the structural biology laboratory, where he has developed software for key steps in the solution of molecular structures from X-ray crystallography data. More recently they have been applying similar techniques to data from cryo-electron microscopy. The problems we work on span image processing, feature recognition, statistical analysis and validation.

In the last decade Kevin has also become interested in data analysis problems in climate science, and in particular in historical temperature data from weather stations and ships. This interest was originally motivated by an awareness that some people reject the scientific consensus around anthropogenic climate change, and wondering whether he could address any of the issues which were being used to distract from the science. In addition to working with the UK Met Office and other organizations on historical observations and climate model outputs, he also works with psychologists and social scientists on understanding and responding to the motivated rejection of climate science. Kevin contributes to the award winning 'Skeptical Science' project which produces evidence-based rebuttals for climate science misinformation.

In addition to his career at York, Kevin has spent two sabbaticals at San Diego Supercomputer Center.