date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 06:57:09 -0600
from: Tom Wigley <wigley@ucar.edu>
subject: Tyndall
to: m.hulme@uea.ac.uk, tmwigley@bouldernews.infi.net, t.d.davies@uea.ac.uk

CONFIDENTIAL

Mike,

I was a little disturbed by the lack of credible candidates for the
Scientific Director job. Astrid and I have discussed the situation at
length and decided that I should make myself available. As you can
realise, there are some difficult factors involved. Moving back to
England would not be easy for Eirik or Melissa, both in terms of
schooling and (particularly) because of established friendships here. My
pension scheme is also an issue that I would have to investigate
carefully. A third item is housing -- price increases here have not kept
up with Norwich, so this could create a financial burden.

The most difficult aspect, however, is Astrid's career. For us to return
to England, she would have to be offered an appropriate job by UEA,
preferably in the Scandinavian department. As you know, Astrid's career
has really 'taken off' since coming here. She has produced many
important papers, obtained a number of big grants from NSF (the most
recent one was for some $400K), and been Assistant Director of INSTAAR
for two years (INSTAAR, by the way, is vastly bigger than CRU, so this
Assistant Director post was a major item). She is currently being
courted by the C.U. Scandinavian Dept. here; but with the problem that
her academic credentials are almost too good (superior to almost
everyone in that Department).
We could not return to England unless she was given a position in UEA
that matched her present position and status level.

So, if you are willing to entertain me as a candidate, could you discuss
this with Trevor ... and up the line within UEA.

On the positive side, I am not making myself available purely because it
appears that your candidate list is less good than one might have hoped.
Getting the Centre was a major coup for UEA, and it is clear that its
future success will depend to no small degree on who is the Scientific
Director. It would be pointless to show false modesty here, but I
believe that my qualifications, academic stature and credibility, and
breadth of knowledge, interests and experience put me far above any
other actual or potential candidate. Furthermore, the broad
policy-relevant goals of the Centre lie squarely within my own current
interests, which have evolved considerably in this direction over the
years that I have been here in Boulder.

Cheers, Tom.

