Dr. Richard Taylor

Biography

Richard Taylor grew up in Canada and earned a Bachelor of Science with Honours from Queen's University and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Toronto. He had a brief stint at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and began his career in the Water Development Department in rural Uganda, tracing hydrogeological conditions to sustain water supplies through wells and springs, and observing the long-term evolution of the landscape. This formative experience led him to University College London, where he focuses on the development of methodologies to advance the understanding of the impact of climate change on human development and groundwater systems. His research aims to inform solutions that ensure equitable access to drinking water and irrigation in low-income countries of the tropics affected by global change. Taylor has long-term collaborations with fellow scientists across tropical Africa and South Asia, having led the International Association of Hydrogeologists’ Commission on Groundwater and Climate Change from 2008 to 2018. He served as a contributing author for the chapters on Water Cycle Changes in Africa in the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was the lead author for the chapter of the UN World Water Development Report 2022 focused on groundwater and climate change. He is currently a Senior Fellow of the Royal Society and a Fellow of the Earth 4D programme of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

Research Interests

Experience