SERENE

Professor of Radio Science and Systems

FREng, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, 2003
Ph.D., Physics, University of Southampton, 1981
M.Sc., Electronics, University of Southampton, 1976
B.Sc. (Hons), Physics, University of Southampton, 1975

Professor Paul Cannon is both a physicist and an electronic engineer who works at the interface of the two disciplines. He is an academic at the University of Birmingham with experience of working in government research laboratories and in industry. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2003, appointed to the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2014 and served as the President of the International Union of Radio Science from 2014-2017.

Paul is a leading figure in radio science and space weather, being interested in a wide range of radio propagation, radio environment and space weather problems and how they impact communications, radar and navigation systems. He has made numerous personal and team leadership contributions to mitigating the impact of the environment on radio systems.

Paul has published many scientific papers including those addressing ionospheric modification, meteor scatter communications, HF communications and radars, space radars and ionosondes. In addition, he is the author of many classified reports and a number of book chapters. Paul initiated and led the Canadian-Norwegian-Swedish-UK project (DAMSON) which defined the environmental requirements for the robust military HF modem, STANAG 4415, now used throughout NATO. His team at QinetiQ developed and transitioned a new generation of real-time (assimilative) ionospheric models from laboratory to the user. His team also participated in ionospheric modification rocket experiments as part of a UK-US collaboration which he initiated. At the University of Birmingham, he and the team have conducted measurements and have built models to describe the impact of the ionosphere on space radars.

Paul has also held many leadership roles. He has served as a QinetiQ Senior Fellow, QinetiQ Chief Scientist (Communications Division) and as the QinetiQ University-Partnerships Director. He was Director of the Poynting Institute at University of Birmingham, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Radio Science and was President of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI). Paul has served on Government committees and provides consultancy to a number of organisations.

Paul initiated the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) ionospheric space weather programme in 1986 and he led and nurtured it for over 25 years. This he did both as a civil servant within the MOD and, on behalf of the MOD whilst working both in QinetiQ and later also at the University of Birmingham. During these periods, he moved military space weather R&D from a Cinderella topic to a core technology with an articulated military requirement. Much of this was, and continues to be, achieved with the benefit of bilateral and multi-lateral arrangements which he facilitated with the US DoD and other nations thereby providing substantial benefit to the UK.

Paul has served on the UK Cabinet Office, Space Weather Project Board and its follow-on bodies, has been an expert witness to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee and has supported the Prime Minister’s Committee on Science and Technology.

Paul started his career at the University of Southampton (1977 - 81) where he discovered and explained a new non-linear demodulation effect (of LF broadcast transmissions) in the high latitude ionosphere partly using equipment that he had developed. He described how coherent modulation from a number of transmitters can preferentially modify the ionosphere in specific locations. This work was most recently cited 2021.

During this time, he also conducted a small study on ELF Schumann resonance signals during a sudden ionospheric disturbance and compared the results with theory.

After a short period working in the satellite communications industry, Paul was appointed to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Royal Aircraft Establishment where he was rapidly promoted and offered a “fast track” career in London. He declined this opportunity preferring a research career.

His early work (1981 – 1990) on meteor burst communications (MBC) identified a hitherto and important signal loss mechanism, due to signal polarisation rotation in the ionosphere and this significantly enhanced the accuracy of the MBC models. This paper was last cited in 2017.

A review paper was well received and later work on the use of phased arrays, facilitated MBC systems operating with significantly enhanced data rates. Recently (2021), the UK MOD reinitiated a MBC programme which draws on this early work.

In 1989 Paul worked on sabbatical at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell in the USA. Here he explored the feasibility of using advanced ionosondes to measure high-latitude ionospheric convection, identifying the technique’s strengths and weaknesses. This work demonstrated that for Bz south the convection pattern was well represented by a two-cell Heppner and Maynard model and notably agreed well with satellite measurements. When Bz was north, the convection pattern was much more variable and was best represented by a four-cell model.

Back in the UK (1990 - 2000) his theoretical focus was on the development of fast analytic (rather than numerical) ray tracing techniques which could be used on the relatively slow computers at that time. This work was novel because not only did it provide for double differential altitude functions, but it accommodated longitudinal gradients.

A further theoretical research theme at this time, explored the use of non-linear dynamical modelling to forecast the ionosphere over different timescales. This work used radial basis functions which facilitated optimisation without the risk of finding a local minimum. The work also developed an approach to interpolate missing points in data series, based on minimising the data entropy.

During this period a new oblique ionosonde, ROSE was developed which was operationally used by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). ROSE was later developed further to support scientific research. This ionosonde exhibited much higher range and frequency resolution than many vertical ionosondes which was necessary to invert the ionogram and derive the electron density profile.

Of particular note in this period was Paul’s leadership of the pioneering international DAMSON programme (1993-2000) to measure and understand the HF communications propagation channel. This work, carried out by a team from Sweden, Norway, Canada and the UK, was undertaken in cooperation with major communications modem manufacturers. NATO’s robust HF modems are based on the results of this work.

In the early 2000’s Paul considered the consequence of ionospheric contraction due to increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, noting that at high altitudes increases in CO2 cause increased radiation of heat into space. Two papers suggest that the ionosphere in northern Norway is indeed contracting and that this will have a consequence on models of the ionosphere and particularly HF communication signal coverage.

Between 2000 and 2010 Paul focused on the measurement of the time and frequency coherence of the UHF trans-ionospheric channel which is degraded by small scale irregularities. To do this he used the ALTAIR space track radar on Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. This led to the first open literature report of these parameters, which were needed to support the design of both UHF space-based surveillance radars and modems for the MUOS satellite constellation.

Theoretical support was provided by team development of a phase screen model to predict the scintillation. This model was successfully able to reproduce many of the experimental results.

The ALTAIR measurements and supporting theoretical work were partly driven by a UK interest to fly a low frequency (400 MHz) space-based radar and a number of papers during this period and later explored these issues. GPS and satellite radio beacon satellite signals were used to evaluate the spatial decorrelation of signals and the consequences for a space radar.

This was also the period during which Paul’s team started the development of assimilative ionospheric models which combine data with a background model to generate a best estimate of the ionospheric electron density. Such models can, for example, be combined with accurate ray tracing to estimate and predict the performance of communication and radar systems.

Between 2010 and 2013, Paul led the UK team, working in collaboration with the USA, to explore whether beneficial artificial layers and disruptive irregularities could be formed by the deposition of chemicals into the ionosphere. This involved the development of a direction finding ionosonde and the launching of rockets, with an apogee of ~200 km, into the ionosphere. A classified joint UK-US programme still continues. Two journal papers were published.

In 2013 Paul joined the University of Birmingham, where he continued research, first started 5-years before, on the impact of the ionosphere on space-radars. Amongst other innovations, this led to two new techniques to map the equatorial ionospheric turbulence using synthetic aperture radars.

In 2018 Paul renewed his interest in Over the Horizon Radar Systems (OTHRs) and conceived a new architecture. This architecture exchanges the conventional relatively short transmit antenna array and long receive array for a long transmit array and a short receive array. This has many advantages including that of making the receivers relocatable. A patent was applied for in 2019 and since 2020 the technique has been successfully explored, with the added benefit of developing the UK’s first OTHR propagation and system model.

In 2020 Paul successfully won, as co-investigator, two of the UK Space Weather Instrumentation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk (SWIMMR) projects. Within these projects his main interests are the development of ionospheric scintillation forecasting techniques.

In 2022, Paul re-examined the characteristics of the wideband trans-ionospheric propagation channel using signals from the MUOS satellite in geosynchronous orbit, especially for communication systems. This work demonstrated that flat fading dominates over frequency selective fading for all operating bandwidths up to 15 MHz.

Only in collaboration with other members of staff.

From 2009 to 2014, Paul served as the first non-US editor-in-chief of the journal Radio Science.

In 2013 Paul, initiated a working group under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Engineering to realise a balanced assessment of the impacts of Extreme Space Weather (SpWx). Paul led this working group, was the report principal author and also principal expert on radio system impacts. Until this research, engineers and physicists (globally) worked as two separate communities with very different understandings and prejudices. In 2014 Paul led a related study for the Commonwealth of Australia. These SpWx studies and associated reports had a direct impact on public policy. They changed policy direction and increased technological capability to recognise and respond to SpWx in the UK and Australia. The Academy report enabled UK policymakers to both recognise the importance of SpWx and to moderate the threat it poses through the implementation of new policy and new practice.

In response to the Report recommendations, UK policy has been developed and coordinated, first by the UK Cabinet Office (Civil Contingency Secretariat) Severe SpWx Project Board and then by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Severe SpWx Steering Group (SSWSG). Paul was until 2022, one of two academics co-opted onto these policy committees.

SSWSG is in turn supported by the Space Environment Impacts Expert Group (SEIEG), on which, until 2022, Paul sat. SEIEG is intended to be the basis for a space weather Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) when the need arises.

In 2013, Paul was elected President of the International Union of Radio Science for three years. His time as President was marked by many new initiatives including three flagship international conferences instead of one every three years, thereby providing further support for the scientific community as well increasing the profile of URSI.

Between 2010 and 2022, Paul helped lead and support the community of UK space weather scientists and the government, by providing consultancy and advice to the government. Amongst other activities, Paul has been an expert witness to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. He has also advised GCSA and the Prime Minister’s Council on Science and Technology at a meeting with the President’s (USA) Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) in Washington DC.

2011-2014 - Member of the Engineering Policy Committee of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

2012-2013 - Chair Royal Academy of Engineering study on “Extreme Space Weather; Impacts on Engineered Systems, Infrastructure and Society”.

2012-2015 - One of two academic members of the UK Cabinet Office (Civil Contingency Secretariat) Severe SpWx Project Board forming the basis of a Government Science Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Space Weather (feeding into COBRA) in times of emergency.

2013-2015 - Member of the Cabinet Office Space Weather Project Board.

2014-2016 - Member, Defence Scientific Advisory Council (DSAC).

2015-2022 - One of two academic members of BEIS Severe Space Weather Steering Group.forming the basis of SAGE in an emergency.

2016-2017 - Member, Defence Scientific Expert Committee (DSEC).

2017 - Member of the International Council for Science Strategy Working Group.

2017– 202x - Member of MOD Independent Science and Technical Advisors Group.

2017-2018 - Member of the Blackett Review Committee on GNSS