Alistair Ford
@alistaircford.bsky.social
Geospatial lecturer, climate/sustainability researcher, rail enthusiast, music lover, Green activist, beekeeper, lower league footy fan, grower of tiny vegetables, bike rider. Views my own etc.
The last of a long line of surveying and mapping graduates are on the final day of their geospatial field course. Over the years we've taken students to Alnmouth and Alston, Gilsland and Glaramara and, for the last 16 years, Kielder. Tonight they'll submit the last ever field course reports & maps!
September 23, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The last of a long line of surveying and mapping graduates are on the final day of their geospatial field course. Over the years we've taken students to Alnmouth and Alston, Gilsland and Glaramara and, for the last 16 years, Kielder. Tonight they'll submit the last ever field course reports & maps!
I might have missed out on the #WorldCarFreeDay activities in Newcastle today but I've enjoyed my own car-free afternoon visiting students on our last ever @nclengineering.bsky.social Geospatial fieldcourse in the North Tyne valley by bike. I'll miss this beautiful part of the world and its people.
September 22, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I might have missed out on the #WorldCarFreeDay activities in Newcastle today but I've enjoyed my own car-free afternoon visiting students on our last ever @nclengineering.bsky.social Geospatial fieldcourse in the North Tyne valley by bike. I'll miss this beautiful part of the world and its people.
Final session of #Tyndall25UEA with reflections from former @tyndallcentre.bsky.social directors including @kevinclimate.bsky.social, and @cast-centre.bsky.social's @lwhitmarsh.bsky.social. Realism, the need for action, climate in a messy world, voices from the Global South, value of social science.
September 10, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Final session of #Tyndall25UEA with reflections from former @tyndallcentre.bsky.social directors including @kevinclimate.bsky.social, and @cast-centre.bsky.social's @lwhitmarsh.bsky.social. Realism, the need for action, climate in a messy world, voices from the Global South, value of social science.
Yippee! The @tyndallcentre.bsky.social 25th birthday conference is finally here! Looking forward to catching up with old friends, learning lots, and taking stock of where we are in our critical decade for climate action. Looking back over 25 years to look forward to the coming research challenges.
September 8, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Yippee! The @tyndallcentre.bsky.social 25th birthday conference is finally here! Looking forward to catching up with old friends, learning lots, and taking stock of where we are in our critical decade for climate action. Looking back over 25 years to look forward to the coming research challenges.
I've never seen so many hoverflies, bees, and wasps in the garden as I have this year. The combination of a little pond and loads of perennial pollinator-friendly flowers seems to be attracting all kinds of species I've never seen before!
August 23, 2025 at 12:37 PM
I've never seen so many hoverflies, bees, and wasps in the garden as I have this year. The combination of a little pond and loads of perennial pollinator-friendly flowers seems to be attracting all kinds of species I've never seen before!
Sometimes it's the gigs you expect least from that blow you away. Tonight, 23 years after I first saw Low, I was spellbound by Alan Sparhawk's set of two halves. Brilliant to see him live again after all he's been through. The new album's a belter. m.youtube.com/watch?v=OBh8...
August 12, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Sometimes it's the gigs you expect least from that blow you away. Tonight, 23 years after I first saw Low, I was spellbound by Alan Sparhawk's set of two halves. Brilliant to see him live again after all he's been through. The new album's a belter. m.youtube.com/watch?v=OBh8...
Great night at @thefirestation.bsky.social tonight for #BBCProms 'Round Midnight with @sowetokinch.bsky.social. Took my dad, who loved Joe Webb. Some amazing performances. Thanks for adding Sunderland to the bill! Who knew @kimmcguinness.bsky.social was a jazz fan...
July 24, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Great night at @thefirestation.bsky.social tonight for #BBCProms 'Round Midnight with @sowetokinch.bsky.social. Took my dad, who loved Joe Webb. Some amazing performances. Thanks for adding Sunderland to the bill! Who knew @kimmcguinness.bsky.social was a jazz fan...
It's a glorious time of year. I turned a blackcurrant glut into five jars of (very tart) jam last night.
July 14, 2025 at 1:40 PM
It's a glorious time of year. I turned a blackcurrant glut into five jars of (very tart) jam last night.
Graduation day today, and it's always the highlight of the academic year. It's lovely to celebrate the achievements of our students, meet their parents, and hear about their future plans. Hopefully most of our Geospatial @nclengineering.bsky.social graduates will avoid pub work!
July 11, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Graduation day today, and it's always the highlight of the academic year. It's lovely to celebrate the achievements of our students, meet their parents, and hear about their future plans. Hopefully most of our Geospatial @nclengineering.bsky.social graduates will avoid pub work!
Lovely few days at the #CUPUM conference organised by @casaucl.bsky.social catching up with old friends and making new ones, learning new things, eating too many cookies, and narrowly missing out on winning the pub quiz. Lots of AI talk but good discussions about applied urban modelling too.
June 26, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Lovely few days at the #CUPUM conference organised by @casaucl.bsky.social catching up with old friends and making new ones, learning new things, eating too many cookies, and narrowly missing out on winning the pub quiz. Lots of AI talk but good discussions about applied urban modelling too.
A pleasure to be at Queen's Hall in Hexham today for The Future is Now Festival. We're showing our Cap-a-Pie climate change show and chatting with @merylbatchelder.bsky.social . Loads of great activities and exhibits about the environment and what we can do to help. On all day today and tomorrow!
June 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM
A pleasure to be at Queen's Hall in Hexham today for The Future is Now Festival. We're showing our Cap-a-Pie climate change show and chatting with @merylbatchelder.bsky.social . Loads of great activities and exhibits about the environment and what we can do to help. On all day today and tomorrow!
Happy Solstice, everyone! It's certainly the warmest and driest 21st of June that I can remember - no need for a blanket and a flask of coffee this morning. Lots of great tits and skylarks celebrating with me too. As my cheery old dad would say: "that's it now - aal downhill to Christmas"!
June 21, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Happy Solstice, everyone! It's certainly the warmest and driest 21st of June that I can remember - no need for a blanket and a flask of coffee this morning. Lots of great tits and skylarks celebrating with me too. As my cheery old dad would say: "that's it now - aal downhill to Christmas"!
The stage is set for another enjoyable evening at @scienceatlife.bsky.social, this time celebrating their 25th birthday with a debate about how life sciences have changed over the last quarter century and where we're headed for the next 25 years. Thanks for asking me to be in the chair. A pleasure!
June 19, 2025 at 6:27 PM
The stage is set for another enjoyable evening at @scienceatlife.bsky.social, this time celebrating their 25th birthday with a debate about how life sciences have changed over the last quarter century and where we're headed for the next 25 years. Thanks for asking me to be in the chair. A pleasure!
There's something soul-enriching about train travel. I left Munich late this morning on a hot, summer day and by midnight I will be pulling into Newcastle (where no doubt I'll have to put my coat on. I'm whizzing through Belgium right now and my music has perfectly synchronised. youtu.be/XmHco8J02q8
June 14, 2025 at 2:58 PM
There's something soul-enriching about train travel. I left Munich late this morning on a hot, summer day and by midnight I will be pulling into Newcastle (where no doubt I'll have to put my coat on. I'm whizzing through Belgium right now and my music has perfectly synchronised. youtu.be/XmHco8J02q8
Big congratulations to David Alvarez Castro of the @darehub.bsky.social for winning the Best Paper prize at the MATSim annual user meeting in Munich. Very well deserved for rigorous and impressive research into flooding impacts on transport with Agent-based Modelling. Well done, David!
June 13, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Big congratulations to David Alvarez Castro of the @darehub.bsky.social for winning the Best Paper prize at the MATSim annual user meeting in Munich. Very well deserved for rigorous and impressive research into flooding impacts on transport with Agent-based Modelling. Well done, David!
It's very nice of the @darehub.bsky.social to organise a lovely event for my 45th birthday, allowing me to spend the day with researchers and give a presentation about the exciting world of agent-based modelling. 😂 (It's DARe researcher conference this week, with Prof Phil Blythe kicking things off)
June 9, 2025 at 12:13 PM
It's very nice of the @darehub.bsky.social to organise a lovely event for my 45th birthday, allowing me to spend the day with researchers and give a presentation about the exciting world of agent-based modelling. 😂 (It's DARe researcher conference this week, with Prof Phil Blythe kicking things off)
A day of deep agent-based modelling discussions is underway at @cambridgeuni.bsky.social today as @darehub.bsky.social modellers and researchers share ideas and develop research plans for simulating the impacts of future extreme weather on decarbonised transport systems. Lots of work still to do!
May 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM
A day of deep agent-based modelling discussions is underway at @cambridgeuni.bsky.social today as @darehub.bsky.social modellers and researchers share ideas and develop research plans for simulating the impacts of future extreme weather on decarbonised transport systems. Lots of work still to do!
It's lovely to be back at a @britishcouncil.bsky.social #RENKEI event and see a lot of familiar faces (and meet some folk for the first time in person!). Very happy to welcome researchers from the UK and Japan to Newcastle and tell them about our work in @darehub.bsky.social (with my UCU badge on).
May 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
It's lovely to be back at a @britishcouncil.bsky.social #RENKEI event and see a lot of familiar faces (and meet some folk for the first time in person!). Very happy to welcome researchers from the UK and Japan to Newcastle and tell them about our work in @darehub.bsky.social (with my UCU badge on).
Fantastic day at the Greening Wingrove Bike Garden today for our Family Bike Party. We talked to loads of local people about cycling, where they feel safe, where they don't, and what's stopping them. Neil from WATBike fixed bikes, and we had a little ride. With help from @newcastleuni.bsky.social
April 12, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Fantastic day at the Greening Wingrove Bike Garden today for our Family Bike Party. We talked to loads of local people about cycling, where they feel safe, where they don't, and what's stopping them. Neil from WATBike fixed bikes, and we had a little ride. With help from @newcastleuni.bsky.social
Detailed discussions are underway about data requirements, analytical approaches, team roles, and outputs. Meanwhile, the academic advisors are drinking coffee and talking about the football.
March 31, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Detailed discussions are underway about data requirements, analytical approaches, team roles, and outputs. Meanwhile, the academic advisors are drinking coffee and talking about the football.
A big milestone in the @geospatialcdt.bsky.social calendar is our annual Challenge Week where our students come together to work collectively on a project for the week. This year they're working with Knight Frank to explore the concept of sustainable 'greybelt' and providing housing land in the UK.
March 31, 2025 at 8:45 AM
A big milestone in the @geospatialcdt.bsky.social calendar is our annual Challenge Week where our students come together to work collectively on a project for the week. This year they're working with Knight Frank to explore the concept of sustainable 'greybelt' and providing housing land in the UK.
The brilliant Delines were on top form at the Gosforth Civic Theatre tonight. A superb bunch of musicians and a spellbinding set of songs. Can't wait for their return. Looking forward to reading Willy Vlautin's latest book too. thedelines.bandcamp.com/track/my-blo...
March 29, 2025 at 11:07 PM
The brilliant Delines were on top form at the Gosforth Civic Theatre tonight. A superb bunch of musicians and a spellbinding set of songs. Can't wait for their return. Looking forward to reading Willy Vlautin's latest book too. thedelines.bandcamp.com/track/my-blo...
Absolute privilege to be at The Grove in Byker tonight for Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek. Beautiful Anatolian psyche-folk with the most diverse gig crowd I can remember: cool kids, old crusties, Turkish diaspora. And nice to see a North East Active Travel Hero on drums for the support act too!
March 23, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Absolute privilege to be at The Grove in Byker tonight for Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek. Beautiful Anatolian psyche-folk with the most diverse gig crowd I can remember: cool kids, old crusties, Turkish diaspora. And nice to see a North East Active Travel Hero on drums for the support act too!
Brilliant thought-provoking talk from @neilmurphy.bsky.social on the failures of the current planning system on delivering new developments for active travel, exploring density, design, and space for parking. Less travel ("internalised trips") is better. Mixed used and walkable! Good examples too.
March 4, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Brilliant thought-provoking talk from @neilmurphy.bsky.social on the failures of the current planning system on delivering new developments for active travel, exploring density, design, and space for parking. Less travel ("internalised trips") is better. Mixed used and walkable! Good examples too.
Nice to see many familiar faces at North East Active Travel Conference today. Frank and honest opening session with @chrisboardman.bsky.social and Lindsey Leonard on the challenges and how we communicate the benefits of change. Now hearing about integrating AT and public transport. Bikes on Metro!
March 4, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Nice to see many familiar faces at North East Active Travel Conference today. Frank and honest opening session with @chrisboardman.bsky.social and Lindsey Leonard on the challenges and how we communicate the benefits of change. Now hearing about integrating AT and public transport. Bikes on Metro!