A scientist who has done pioneering work on global warming has been killed in a road accident, it has emerged.

Dr Katharine Giles, who worked at University College London (UCL), was involved in a collision with a lorry while cycling to work on Monday.

The 35-year-old had carried out important research relating to the Arctic and Antarctic.

Her death comes just three months after a senior colleague, Prof Seymour Laxon, 49, died in a fall, hitting his head and suffering a brain haemorrhage.

The head of the earth sciences department, Prof Philip Meredith, told staff and students: "We are all left with a sense of the outrageous unfairness with which some of our best colleagues have been taken from us.

"Katharine had a bright future ahead of her. She graduated with a first class degree in earth and space sciences from UCL, studied under Seymour for her PhD, and went on to forge her own career as a research fellow and most recently as a university lecturer."

Dr Giles had conducted experiments investigating sea ice thickness, and shown how winds affected the newly exposed Arctic Ocean.

Scotland Yard said the accident took place at the junction of Palace Street and Victoria Street, near Victoria Station, at 8.25am on Monday.

Giles, from west London, was pronounced dead at the scene. The male driver of the HGV lorry stopped at the scene. He was not arrested.

Any witnesses were asked to call the road death investigation unit at Catford, south-east London on 020 8285 1574.