2023 Royal Meteorological Society Award Winners Announced
The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) is delighted to announce Award Winners for 2023, having received outstanding entries from across the international community of pioneering climate scientists and communicators.
The annual Awards recognises and rewards the excellence of people and teams who have made outstanding and exceptional contributions to weather, climate and associated disciplines and are considered one of the most prestigious accolades in meteorology, with a history dating back to 1901.
RMetS is thrilled once again to present the awards in person at its Annual General Meeting on 22 May at the HMS Belfast in London. Each winner will also be showcased on the RMetS website in more detail, outlining achievements alongside their acceptance message.
Among those recognised this year is Professor Chris Folland, who receives the coveted Honourary Fellowship of the Society for contributions which have had enormous impact on governments, scientists and generations of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Reports.
Professor Brian Golding OBE FRMetS is awarded the prestigious Mason Gold Medal. Professor Golding has played a leading role in weather forecasting science at the Met Office for over 50 years and has been particularly influential in translating the latest scientific advances into operational forecasting capabilities for the benefit of society.
Dr Indrani Roy FRMetS, who is awarded the L F Richardson Award and Lecture for Early-Career Researchers, has made contributions which have significantly advanced our understanding of environmental phenomena with a particular focus on monsoons and the solar cycle.
Also celebrated are Sandra Patterson FCCT, who has created innovative approaches to climate education including developing a whole school Environmental Education programme; and Dr Nick Dunstone FRMetS, who has made major advances in predicting precipitation on seasonal to interannual timescales and whose recent work shows that windows of opportunity exist for providing confident early warnings of some seasonal extreme rainfall events.
It is also fantastic to see younger scientists, such as Ayesha Tandon and Simon Clark, recognised for their passion and knowledge in driving science forward and engaging with new audiences in innovative ways to help find solutions to addressing climate change.
Thank you to all RMetS members, colleagues and associates who nominated individuals for the awards this year.
Awards and winners for 2023 are detailed below. Read full citations and acceptance messages for the 2023 Awards here.
2023 Award and Prize Winners
Honorary Fellowship – Professor Chris Folland FRMetS, Met Office
Professor Chris Folland is internationally renowned for his research constructing observational datasets of the Earth’s surface climate and observing and predicting climate variability and change. As a founding member of the Met Office Hadley Centre, Chris spent several decades developing observational sea surface temperature (SST) and night marine air temperature data sets and applying them to understand climate change and climate variability. He led the first global analysis of SST which first identified the interhemispheric SST variations now known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (Nature, 1984). His contributions have had enormous impact on governments, scientists and generations of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Reports.
The Mason Gold Medal – Professor Brian Golding OBE FRMetS, Met Office
Professor Brian Golding has played a leading role in weather forecasting science at the Met Office for over 50 years and has been particularly influential in translating the latest scientific advances into operational forecasting capabilities for the benefit of society. Over his career, Brian’s vision and leadership have contributed to today’s advanced, automated weather forecast systems, putting accurate local forecasts into every smartphone. He has built numerous collaborations coupling meteorology with other disciplines, culminating in the value chain work providing guidance on the optimal severe weather warnings for the world.
The Buchan Award for Scientific Advances – Professor Andrew Turner PhD FRMetS, University of Reading
Professor Andrew Turner has demonstrated sustained, original, and important advances in scientific understanding of tropical weather and climate change. His unique expertise, creativity and leadership have provided invaluable new knowledge about monsoon rains and their variability, which determine the livelihoods of billions of people across the planet. Through the careful accumulation of knowledge and insight, along with the building and fostering of international partnerships, Professor Turner has substantially advanced understanding of the detailed processes necessary for improving prediction and preparedness for monsoon rainfall fluctuations and their changes related to a warming climate.
The Hugh Robert Mill Award for Precipitation Research – Dr Nick Dunstone FRMetS, Met Office
Dr Nick Dunstone has made major advances in predicting precipitation on seasonal to interannual timescales. His recent work shows that windows of opportunity exist for providing confident early warnings of some seasonal extreme rainfall events despite low skill on average. Nick has made multiple significant contributions to improving our understanding of, and ability to predict, the variation of precipitation in time. These advances have enormous societal importance making him a very worthy recipient of the Hugh Robert Mill Award for Precipitation Research.
The L F Richardson Award and Lecture for Early-Career Researchers – Dr Indrani Roy FRMetS, University College London
Dr Indrani Roy is a Climate Scientist whose contributions have significantly advanced our understanding of environmental phenomena with a particular focus on monsoons and the solar cycle. As a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society (FRMetS), Dr Roy has demonstrated her commitment to excellence in her field. She has also served as a panel member of the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC), UK, contributing to critical decision-making processes. Dr Roy's expertise is widely recognised, with her serving as a reviewer for over 30 international journals and various grant funding bodies including the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the US, the Royal Society, NERC, and NASA. Her rigorous evaluations ensure the integrity of scientific discourse and support innovative research initiatives.
The Malcolm Walker Award for New Environmental Researchers – Daniel Skinner, University of East Anglia
Daniel Skinner’s published PhD work (Skinner et al., 2022, 2023) has brought new theoretical and practical insights into the extratropical response to the MJO, which is the main source of predictability for global medium-range weather forecasts (lead times beyond about 10 days). Forecast skill in these medium-range forecasts is vital for many business sectors, including agriculture, power generation and water management. From the start of his career, Daniel has held communication of his science of equal importance to the science itself. After winning a poster prize at the 2022 RMetS Student and Early Career Scientists Conference, he was awarded an RMetS Science Engagement Fellowship working in the Science Engagement team.
The Michael Hunt Award for Increasing Public Understanding of Meteorology and its Applications – Dr Rob Thompson, University of Reading
Dr Rob Thompson studied at the University of Reading, completing a PhD on rainfall estimation with radar in 2007. Since then, he has worked extensively on rainfall measurement developing techniques to improve estimates of rainfall from operational weather radar, surface measurement gauges and satellite observations. More recently, he has specialised in intense, high-impact rainfall events and flash flooding. His involvement in the Flooding from Intense Rainfall programme showcases his dedication to integrating meteorology and hydrology for comprehensive environmental analysis. The enthusiasm Rob shows when presenting information about weather and climate to public audiences and his dedication to clear, concise messages that people can understand make him a worthy winner of this award.
The Education Award – Sandra Patterson FCCT, Ulidia Integrated College
Sandra Patterson has been leading Geography at Ulidia Integrated College, Northern Ireland, for over 16 years. Sandra has successfully led the department to develop a reputation for being groundbreaking and innovative. She has developed many resources within the department which are designed to develop student skill base and to increase scientific curiosity, and she is keen to support her professional community by sharing resources regularly with her colleagues across the sector. Her ethos of being a supportive educator and colleague have created an ethos of collaboration both within her department and within her educational sector. Sandra’s impact to weather and climate education is whole school, national and global.
The Emerging Communicator Award – Simon Clark
One of two recipients of this year’s Emerging Communicator Award, Simon Clark has become an extremely well-respected atmospheric science communicator. He started making YouTube videos in 2010 as an undergraduate at the University of Oxford, initially focused on helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds apply to prestigious universities. Simon has spoken at New Scientist Live, hosted the 2022 TED/YouTube Countdown event, and presented for BBC Earth, Sky News, BBC Bitesize and the Weather Channel, both as an expert interviewee and as a to-camera talent. He very easily translates complex science into easily digestible information and has mastered the balance between simplification and oversimplification, making him a very deserving winner of the Emerging Communicator Award.
The Emerging Communicator Award – Ayesha Tandon, Carbon Brief
Ayesha Tandon is a science journalist at Carbon Brief, an outstanding source of authoritative information on climate change for non-specialist audiences. She writes brilliant articles about a huge range of subjects – from the health impacts of extreme weather events to polar ice loss to a field research campaign in Thailand – all in an accessible and compelling style. Ayesha has been recognised for her stellar journalism: she was shortlisted for the Association of British Science Writers’ ‘Newcomer of the year’ award in 2023, and she won a prestigious EGU journalism fellowship in 2022. A fabulous communicator who does extremely important work, the RMetS Emerging Communicator award will be a worthy addition to Ayesha’s trophy cabinet.
The Gordon Manley Weather Award – Howard Waller
From 2017 to 2023, Howard Waller was Senior Production Editor at Wiley for Weather. During this time, without fail, he successfully oversaw production of all issues of Weather in a professional and punctual manner, often having to find quick solutions to last-minute requests from the Editors. Despite the 'just-in-time' and high pressure media environment of producing a monthly journal, Howard always maintained a calm, competent and helpful composure during his work, without which Weather may not have achieved many of its successes over the past six years. During the COVID pandemic, Howard remained calm and sought solutions for every problem that arose. Howard’s dedicated service to Weather amidst much change is why he has been nominated, without hesitation, for the Gordon Manley Weather Prize 2023
The Award for Outstanding Contribution to The Society or Profession – Geoff Jenkins FRMetS
Geoff has given unstinting and invaluable service to the Society spanning some 50 years. His 15-year contribution to the Society’s field course on Weather Science and Weather Forecasting, beginning in the late-1970s at Nettlecombe Court in Somerset, showed first hand his enthusiasm for and commitment to education. As well as providing invaluable contributions to numerous Society committees, Geoff was also an inspirational Chair of the Education Committee, and still remains a very active and valued member. Geoff’s long association with the Society is characterised by always being ready to help and support and to give so freely his time, knowledge and expertise. This long and valued service is hugely deserving of recognition.
The Award for Outstanding Contribution to The Society or Profession – Kate Groom
In recognition of her steadfast commitment to her role and significant contributions to the Royal Meteorological Society over a number of years, we are delighted to present Kate Groom with the well-deserved Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Society or Profession. Kate had been a cornerstone of the Society for 6 years before leaving the Society in 2023. As Office Manager, Kate played a pivotal role in supporting the Chief Executive, Chief Finance Officer, and the Council of Trustees, and ensuring the smooth functioning of daily operations. Her tireless efforts extended beyond administrative tasks, as she also provided vital support to the team across various projects throughout the year, showcasing her versatility and dedication to the Society’s mission.
2023 Journal Prizes
The Meteorological Applications Editors’ Award – Professor Joan Bech FRMetS CMet, University of Barcelona
The International Journal of Climatology Editors’ Award – Professor AE Athanassios Argiriou FRMetS, University of Patras
The Quarterly Journal Editors’ Award – Jack Hopkins
The Quarterly Journal Editors’ Award – Keith Grant FRMetS
The Atmospheric Science Letters Editors’ Award – Dr Valerio Ferracci, National Physical Laboratory
RMetS is proud of the work and achievements of all award winners. Over recent decades, the nature and extent of members' contributions have broadened substantially as meteorology and related disciplines have become more central to education, business and policy.
If you know someone who should be recognised for their work or commitment to meteorology, please consider nominating them for the 2024 awards. Details will be announced in June 2024 at www.rmets.org