Dr. Paul Lincoln

Biography

Paul Lincoln is a Physical Geographer specializing in past environmental change and palaeoclimatology, utilizing proxy-based climatic reconstructions through statistical and Bayesian machine-learning approaches. He joined King's College London as a Lecturer in Physical Geography in September 2025 after completing his PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London in 2018. His academic journey includes postdoctoral positions at the Universities of Reading, Winchester, and Portsmouth. Recently, he has contributed to the DECADAL Project: Rethinking Palaeoclimatology Society, where he generated high-resolution proxy records from varved lake sediments and integrated climate model simulations to investigate Holocene decadal variability in the North Atlantic-European sector. His role involved linking palaeoclimate reconstructions with near-term prediction frameworks and collaborating with climate services and policy partners to improve decadal climate forecasts to tackle pressing environmental challenges. Paul's research primarily focuses on hydroclimatic variability, the impacts of abrupt climate change phases on society and ecosystems, and building quantitative models to inform near-term climate predictions. Recent results highlight the sensitivity of high-latitude lakes to warmer climates, showcasing the vulnerability of freshwater ecosystems to future warming. He has also indicated that early seasonal warming in Europe following deglaciation was driven by changes in North Atlantic sea ice, facilitating early human repopulation in north-west Europe. His work, as part of the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project DECADAL, aims to link proxy data with near-term climate predictions to enhance decadal forecasts in the UK and Europe.

Research Interests

Experience