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Jonathan Gregory

Jonathan Gregory Royal Society (cropped).jpg
Gregory in 2018
Born
Education Stanborough School
Alma mater
Awards BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2018)
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
  • Met Office
  • University of Reading
  • Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research
  • University of East Anglia
Thesis The VA1 trigger processor and a study of jet production (1990)

Jonathan Michael Gregory is a scientist who studies Earth's climate. He is known as a climate modeller. This means he uses computer models to understand how our planet's climate and sea levels are changing. He works at the Met Office and the University of Reading in the UK. His research helps us understand long-term changes in our world.

Education and Early Research

Jonathan Gregory went to Stanborough School, Welwyn Garden City. He then studied at the University of Oxford. Later, he earned his PhD degree from the University of Birmingham in 1990. His early research was in particle physics. This is a field that studies the tiny particles that make up everything. He worked on an experiment called UA1 at CERN, a famous science lab in Switzerland.

Career and Climate Research

Today, Jonathan Gregory is a senior scientist. He works in the Climate Division of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). This is part of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS-Climate). His office is at the University of Reading. He is also a research fellow at the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research. This centre focuses on predicting climate change.

Understanding Sea Level Rise

Dr. Gregory has done important work on global warming and sea level rise. In 2004, he led a study published in the journal Nature. This study looked at the Greenland ice sheet. It predicted that this huge ice sheet could melt away over many centuries. If this happens, global sea levels could rise by about 7.1 metres. This shows how serious the effects of global warming can be.

Work with the IPCC

Dr. Gregory has also played a big role in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC is a group of scientists from all over the world. They study climate change and share their findings. He helped write important reports for the IPCC:

  • In 2001, he was a lead author for the chapter on Changes in Sea Level in the IPCC Third Assessment Report.
  • In 2007, he was a lead author for chapters on Observations: Oceanic Climate Change and Sea Level and Global Climate Projections in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report.

His work helps governments and people understand how our climate is changing.

Awards and Honours

Jonathan Gregory has received many awards for his important work.

  • In 2010, he received a special grant from the European Research Council (ERC). This grant helped him continue his research on sea level change.
  • In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK.
  • The IPCC, where Dr. Gregory is a lead author, shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. They received it for their efforts to spread knowledge about climate change.
  • In 2018, he won the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award. He shared this award with two other scientists, Anny Cazenave and John A. Church. They were honoured for their amazing work in understanding how sea levels are changing due to human-caused climate change.
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