Personal profile
Research overview
The Climate Dynamics Lab at the University of St Andrews – led by Mike Byrne – uses theory, models and observations to understand the climate system. Recently we have been working to understand extreme temperatures and the water cycle in a warming climate, how clouds and water vapour couple to tropical circulation, the dynamics of the tropical rainbelt, and why continents and oceans respond differently to climate change.
Academic/Professional Qualification
I am a climate scientist and Reader in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of St Andrews. I was a postdoctoral research at ETH Zürich working with Tapio Schneider from 2014-2017, prior to holding independent fellowships at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London.
I completed my PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where my advisor was Paul O'Gorman. I also hold a bachelor's degree in Physics from Trinity College Dublin and a master's degree in Mathematical Modelling & Scientific Computing from the University of Oxford.
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Climate Physics & Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1 Sept 2009 → 31 Oct 2014
Award Date: 31 Oct 2014
Master in Science, Mathematical Modelling & Scientific Computing, University of Oxford
1 Oct 2008 → 31 Aug 2009
Award Date: 1 Oct 2009
Bachelor of Arts, Computational Physics, Trinity College Dublin
1 Oct 2004 → 30 Jun 2008
Award Date: 30 Jun 2008
External positions
Marie Curie Research Fellow, University of Oxford
1 Nov 2018 → 31 Oct 2022
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Climate Impacts of Forced Equatorial Superrotation in an Idealized GCM
Marino, T., Byrne, M. P. & Herbert, C., Feb 2026, In: Journal of Climate. 39, 4, p. 1119-1136 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Tropical temperature distributions over a wide range of climates: theory and idealized simulations
Duffield, J. A. M. & Byrne, M. P., 15 Jan 2026, In: Journal of Climate. 39, 2, p. 475-499 25 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Changes in the regional water cycle and their impact on societies
Lambert, F. H., Allan, R. P., Behrangi, A., Byrne, M. P., Ceppi, P., Chadwick, R., Durack, P. J., Fosser, G., Fowler, H. J., Greve, P., Lee, T., Mutton, H., O'Gorman, P. A., Osborne, J. M., Pendergrass, A. G., Reager, J. T., Stier, P., Swann, A. L. S., Todd, A. & Vicente-Serrano, S. M. & 1 others, , 3 Apr 2025, In: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change. 16, 2, 21 p., e70005.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Circulation and cloud responses to patterned SST warming
Mackie, A., Byrne, M. P., Van de Koot, E. K. & Williams, A. I. L., 28 Apr 2025, In: Geophysical Research Letters. 52, 8, 10 p., e2024GL112543.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Climate impacts of equatorial superrotation
Marino, T., Byrne, M. P. & Herbert, C., 9 Apr 2025, arXiv, 40 p.Research output: Working paper › Preprint
Open Access
Datasets
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New Investigations of Monsoon Depressions Using Observational Data, Theory and Numerical Experiments (thesis data)
Chaudhri, A. K. (Creator), Scott, R. K. (Supervisor) & Byrne, M. P. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 16 Aug 2026
DOI: 10.17630/5e966cd7-4390-49bc-807b-4b6dc57cdec0, https://doi.org/10.17630/sta/586
Dataset: Thesis dataset
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Climate models underestimate dynamic cloud feedbacks in the tropics (code)
Byrne, M. P. (Creator), GitHub, 2023
https://github.com/PeterGHill/CMIP6_DynamicCloudFeedbacks
Dataset: Software
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Effects of circulation on tropical cloud feedbacks in high-resolution simulations (code)
Mackie, A. (Creator) & Byrne, M. P. (Creator), GitHub, 2023
https://github.com/Climate-Dynamics-Lab/Mackie_Byrne_2022
Dataset: Software
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Global theory for Extreme Land Temp: GLOBAL-EX: A GLOBAL theory for EXtreme temperatures in a changing climate
Byrne, M. (PI)
1/04/24 → 31/03/29
Project: Standard
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StA-CEES: St Andrews Network for Climate, Energy, Environment and Sustainability (StA-CEES)
Byrne, M. (PI)
1/01/21 → 30/09/21
Project: Standard
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CIRCULATES-Circulation, Clouds & Climate: CIRCULATES - Circulation, Clouds and Climate Sensitivity
Byrne, M. (PI)
Natural Environment Research Council
1/02/20 → 31/12/25
Project: Standard
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CRW Grant: Continental climate change: simple models to understand the future
Byrne, M. (PI)
1/11/19 → 17/08/20
Project: Standard