Zak Kipling

Senior Scientific Software Engineer
Research, Integrated Forecast Systems, System Design Group

Summary:

Zak works on integrating developments from the science teams into new releases ("cycles") of the IFS, ready to be handed over for operational implementation as part of our research-to-operations (R2O) process, and on various aspects of the software infrastructure and workflow surrounding the IFS and its use in research.

Career background:

2025–present Senior Scientific Software Engineer at ECMWF in IFS Release Coordination & Sustainability Team, Research Department.

2022–2024 Scientist at ECMWF in IFS Release Coordination & Sustainability Team, Research Department.

2016–2021 Scientist at ECMWF in CAMS Development Section, Copernicus Department.

2013–2016 Post-doc at the University of Oxford in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Plantary Physics, working on aerosol–convection interactions in global models as part of the ACCLAIM project.

2009–2013 D.Phil. at the University of Oxford in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics. Thesis title "Cloud cycling, scavenging and aerosol vertical profiles: process sensitivity and observational constraints", supervised by Philip Stier and Colin Johnson (UK Met Office).

2008–2009 M.Sc. at the University of Reading in Mathematical and Numerical Modelling of the Atmosphere and Oceans (Departments of Mathematics and Meteorology). Dissertation title "Error growth in medium-range forecasting models", supervised by Andrew Charlton-Perez and Cristina Primo (ECMWF, now DWD).

2002–2008 Software Engineer at Transversal, Cambridge.

1998–2001 BA (Hons) at the University of Cambridge (Girton College) in Mathematics.