Dr Andrew Brown has been appointed as ECMWF’s next Director of Research after Professor Erland Källén steps down on 31 July 2017.
ECMWF’s Council approved the recommendation of the Centre’s Selection Board on 1 December.
Dr Brown is the Director of Science at the UK Met Office and is, as such, already very well acquainted with ECMWF.
The relationship includes a year-long secondment he completed at ECMWF in 2003 as well as his involvement in several projects, such as the EUROSIP multi-model seasonal forecasting system and the Centre’s Scalability Programme.
He has also had opportunities to attend various ECMWF governance committees as part of the Met Office’s senior team.
Dr Brown has extensive experience of scientific and corporate leadership, developing strategies and partnerships and co-ordinating the work of many teams to successfully deliver scientific advances.
His scientific contributions cover a variety of topics relating to atmospheric physical processes, parametrization and weather and climate modelling.
Dr Brown’s drive and leadership are acknowledged to have been instrumental in delivering recent major upgrades to the Met Office modelling and forecasting systems.
“We are excited about the appointment of such a high-calibre scientist to the position of Director of Research,” ECMWF Director-General Florence Rabier said.
“Professor Källén has helped to steer ECMWF from success to success during his eight years at the Centre. Dr Brown brings the right kind of expertise and experience to the leadership team for ECMWF to continue on this path, and we wish him well as he joins us in summer 2017.”