This week the Royal Meteorological Society has announced the winners of its prestigious awards for 2020, in recognition of people who have made significant contributions to the fields of weather, climate and other associated disciplines.  

Amongst the winners are several Met Office staff who have been awarded for their work ranging from STEM outreach to pioneering work on satellite data.

Dr John Eyre, Science Fellow. Awarded Honorary Fellow for his pioneering work in furthering the Met Office’s use of satellite data and touching the careers of countless scientists who have benefited from his scientific wisdom and insight.

Dr Steven Hardiman, Senior Scientist, Climate Dynamics. Winner of the L.F. Richardson Prize for his research on a broad range of topics in climate science.

Felicity Liggins, Scientific Manager, Education Outreach. Winner of the Michael Hunt Award for her STEM education and outreach activities, building it into the award-winning Outreach Programme it is today.

Malcolm Kitchen, Opportunistic Observations Science Fellow & Ed Stone, Expert Observations Scientist. Joint winners of the Vaisala Award in recognition for their work in developing the “Mode-S” meteorological observing system.

Squadron Leader Ken Horn, Operational Meteorologist. Winner of the Innovation award in recognition of his long and successful career both as an Operational Meteorologist in the Met Office and the RAF.

With many outstanding entries from across the globe, these awards represent the highest achievements in climate science and meteorology, providing a showcase for some of the pioneering work taking place across different organisations. 

Dr John Eyre, this year’s Honorary Fellow, said:
“I am very surprised and deeply honoured to be elected. I have been privileged to find myself working at the intersection between observations from weather satellites and numerical weather prediction during the last four decades – a period that has seen major advances in both fields. I am very grateful to many people – particularly at the Met Office and ECMWF, but also through the activities of EUMETSAT, WMO and other centres – who have contributed to the work in which I have been involved. I have learned a lot from them, and it has been a pleasure to be part of this community.” 

You can read more about each award and the citation for the recipient on the Royal Meteorological Society website, which highlights the work of each recipient alongside an acceptance message. Congratulations to all award recipients.