Top weather research awards for Reading climate science pair

Two Reading scientists have been honoured by the Royal Meteorological Society for their contributions to weather and climate research.

Professor Andrew Turner has received The Buchan Award for Scientific Advances and Dr Rob Thompson has received The Michael Hunt Award for Increasing Public Understanding of Meteorology and its Applications. 

The annual Awards recognise and reward the excellence of people who have made outstanding contributions to weather, climate and associated disciplines. The awards are considered some of the most prestigious accolades in meteorology, with a history dating back to 1901.

Professor Andrew Turner, a monsoon expert at the University of Reading, won his award after demonstrating 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. 

Professor Turner said: “It is a real pleasure and a great motivator to be recognised by the Royal Meteorological Society in this way. There is still so much work to do in understanding and predicting monsoon behaviour, and I know that this award inspires me to keep going.”

Dr Rob Thompson, a rain and storms expert at the University of Reading, was recognised for his ability to explain complex weather processes clearly and concisely to a range of audiences. Rob regularly speaks to the media, gives presentations and public lectures, and teaches at the University of Reading. He has an active social media presence and some of his posts about the weather have been widely shared. An experiment involving a plastic cup of water showing the relative speed at which water soaks into the ground when the earth is moist or dry has been viewed three million times on X, played 2.6 million times on Instagram and watched 3.6 times on TikTok. 

Dr Rob Thompson said: “Throughout my career, I've been dedicated to making complex weather processes understandable and engaging for everyone – this award recognises my commitment to communicating the science of meteorology to diverse audiences.”

The Royal Meteorological Society will present the awards in person at its Annual General Meeting on 22 May at the HMS Belfast in London. 

Last year, four scientists from the University of Reading's Meteorology department were honoured in the Royal Meteorological Society awards 2022. 

Professor Ed Hawkins won the Hugh Robert Mill Award for Precipitation Research; Professor David Brayshaw was awarded The Adrian Gill Award for Advances at the Interface of Atmospheric Science and Related Disciplines; Professor Bryan Lawrence was given The Award for Innovation in Development of Computational Models, Tools or Visualisation; and The Award for Outstanding Contribution to The Society or Profession was given to Dr Roger Brugge.