Brian Hoskins facts for kids

Professor Sir Brian John Hoskins (born 17 May 1945) is a British scientist. He studies the atmosphere and how it moves. He is a meteorologist, which means he studies weather. He is also a climatologist, meaning he studies climate. Sir Brian works at Imperial College London and the University of Reading.

In 2024, he won the Japan Prize with Professor John Michael Wallace. They won for their work on understanding and predicting extreme weather. Sir Brian is a mathematician. His research helps us understand how the atmosphere moves. This includes everything from small weather fronts to the entire Earth's atmosphere. He uses math and computer models to do this.

He is well-known for his work on large storms called extratropical cyclones. He also studied how weather fronts form. He helped explain these using a special math idea called potential vorticity. Sir Brian has also researched many other areas of meteorology. This includes the Indian monsoon (seasonal winds) and global warming. He helped write important reports on climate change. These include the Stern review and the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report.

In 1996, he and Mark J. Rodwell created an idea called the Rodwell–Hoskins mechanism. This idea explains a climate link. It connects the Indian/Asian summer monsoon to the weather in the Mediterranean region.

What Sir Brian Hoskins Did

Sir Brian Hoskins studied mathematics at the University of Cambridge in the UK. He earned his first degree in 1966 and his PhD in 1970. After that, he became a professor of meteorology at the University of Reading. He led the Department of Meteorology there from 1990 to 1996. He was also the President of the Royal Meteorological Society from 1998 to 2000.

He became a research professor at Imperial College London in 2001. From 2008 to 2014, he was the first Director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change. This institute is a big center for climate change research.

Sir Brian has often spoken about how important meteorology is. He believes it helps governments, businesses, and society. He was also on the council for the Natural Environment Research Council. This group helps fund environmental research in the UK. He has also worked with the Met Office, which is the UK's national weather service.

He has helped with scientific reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These reports explain what we know about climate change. He also helped with the Stern review. This report looked at the economic costs of climate change. Sir Brian was also part of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. This group suggested that the UK should cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050. Later, he joined the UK Committee on Climate Change. This committee helped the government decide to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.

Awards and Honors

Sir Brian Hoskins has received many awards for his important work:

• Japan Prize (2024)
• Bjerknes Lecture from the American Geophysical Union (2014)
• He was made a Knight by the Queen (2007)
• Symons Gold Medal from the Royal Meteorological Society (2006)
• Elected to the US National Academy of Sciences (2002)
• Made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (1998)
• Honorary Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (1998)
• Vilhelm Bjerknes Medal from the European Geophysical Society (1997)
• Became a Fellow of the Royal Society (1988)
• Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal from the American Meteorological Society (1988)
• The Chree Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics (1987)
• Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (1985)
• L.F. Richardson Prize (1972) and Buchan Prize (1976) from the Royal Meteorological Society

Service and Leadership

Sir Brian has held many important leadership roles:

• President of the Royal Meteorological Society (1998–2000)
• Member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
• President of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (1991–95)
• Chair of the Royal Society Global Environmental Research Committee
• Chair of the Meteorological Office Science Advisory Committee and Member of the Meteorological Office Board
• Vice-Chair of the Joint Scientific Committee for the World Climate Research Programme
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (Chair 1985–88)