Japan Prize winner to launch climate science fellowship

One of Britain’s leading climate scientists, Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, has announced a new scheme to encourage collaboration on climate and weather research between the UK and Japan. 

Sir Brian announced the new scheme today (Thursday 9 May) after jointly being awarded the 2024 Japan Prize in April, considered the world’s leading prize for scientific achievement alongside the Nobel Prizes.  

Today, he announced he has generously opted to donate his prize award to fund a new Japan-UK weather and climate fellowship to support future scientific pioneers.  

Sir Brian, who first joined the University of Reading's Department of Meteorology in 1970, was awarded the Japan Prize in the field of Resources, Energy, the Environment, and Social Infrastructure, for his work to establish the scientific foundation for understanding and predicting extreme weather events, jointly with his US colleague Professor John Michael Wallace, from the University of Washington. 

Sir Brian said: “I was greatly honoured to be awarded the Japan Prize. The Award Ceremony was wonderful and, beyond our wildest dreams, it was followed by a 20 minute private conversation with the Emperor and Empress.

“I was particularly pleased to share the prize with my friend and colleague Mike Wallace, with whom I have discussed science for many decades, often during our many hiking adventures together. 

‘Extraordinary advancements’

“The advancements of weather and climate forecasting over the past half century have been extraordinary. We can now provide useful warnings of cyclones or floods, days and sometimes weeks ahead, and understand  how continuing greenhouse gas emissions may change patterns of weather decades or centuries ahead.  

"Yet in the face of climate change and increasing numbers of extreme weather events, we need more than ever a new generation of talented scientists to work together to find answers to the many remaining mysteries of weather and climate. This is why I am delighted to fund this new fellowship that will build links between scientists in Japan and the UK who will develop the next big ideas in our subject.” 

Professor Parveen Yaqoob, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, welcomed His Excellency Mr Hajime Hayashi, Ambassador of Japan to the United Kingdom, and other guests to a reception in Sir Brian’s honour at the University of Reading on Thursday (9 May). 

Professor Yaqoob said: “Sir Brian Hoskins has been a leader of the UK’s world-class research into meteorology and climate science for more than half a century. We are enormously proud of his achievements and his scientific legacy, which continues to this day. His success shows that internationally outstanding British research comes from its strength in depth and breadth.

“It is typical of Sir Brian’s generosity and forward-looking approach that he has asked that we establish this scheme to encourage scientific collaboration between Japan and the UK.” 

Sir Brian becomes only the eighth British scientist, and the first for 17 years, to be awarded the Japan Prize, and one of only 111 since its creation in 1985. 

• Read more about Professor Sir Brian Hoskins from the Japan Prize.
• Watch Sir Brian’s prize lecture on YouTube.