Piers Forster

Piers Forster is a British climate scientist and professor known for contributions to atmospheric physics, radiative forcing assessment, and climate change synthesis. He has played leading roles in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, contributed to climate models and observational synthesis, and advised governments and international bodies on climate policy. His work intersects academic institutions, research councils, and intergovernmental organizations.

Early life and education

Forster was educated in the United Kingdom with degrees from University of Leeds and University of Cambridge, where he studied physics and atmospheric science alongside contemporaries affiliated with Met Office, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, Natural Environment Research Council, and research groups linked to Imperial College London and University of Oxford. His doctoral and postgraduate training involved collaborations with researchers at British Antarctic Survey, University of Manchester, University of Reading, and laboratories associated with UK Research and Innovation and Royal Society fellows. Early mentors and examiners included scientists connected to Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, NOAA, NASA, and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Academic career and positions

Forster has held academic appointments at University of Leeds, University of Oxford, and University of York, and has been affiliated with research centers such as Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Walker Institute, Centre for Climate Repair, and institutes linked to Columbia University and Princeton University. He served in leadership roles in programs funded by Natural Environment Research Council, coordinated projects with European Commission initiatives, and participated in collaborations with Met Office Hadley Centre, National Oceanography Centre, and British Geological Survey. His professional memberships include societies and academies such as Royal Society, American Geophysical Union, European Geosciences Union, and connections to World Meteorological Organization panels.

Research contributions and scientific work

Forster’s research spans radiative forcing, cloud feedbacks, aerosol–cloud interactions, climate model evaluation, and detection and attribution studies. He contributed to assessments in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change involving synthesizing evidence from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, and subsequent assessment cycles that engaged groups from Met Office, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and Hadley Centre. His work on radiative kernels, effective radiative forcing, and aerosol indirect effects built on methods used by teams at Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He collaborated with scientists from University of Exeter, University of Bristol, University of Southampton, ETH Zurich, MPI for Chemistry, and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research to evaluate model biases against observations from Global Climate Observing System, CloudSat, CALIPSO, and surface networks operated by UK Met Office and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Forster’s detection and attribution studies connected paleoclimate evidence from IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C, instrumental records from HadCRUT, and reanalysis products from ECMWF and NCEP to assess anthropogenic influences discussed in forums such as UNFCCC negotiations and COP meetings. He has co-authored papers with researchers affiliated with Princeton University, Yale University, University of Cambridge, McGill University, Australian National University, Tsinghua University, and Peking University.

Awards and honors

Forster’s recognitions include leadership and authorship roles in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that have been associated with awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize recognition of IPCC contributors, and distinctions from institutions like Royal Society, American Meteorological Society, European Geosciences Union, and national research councils including UKRI and NERC. He has been invited to give named lectures at venues linked to Royal Institution, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Cambridge Union, and international symposia organized by International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme and Future Earth.

Public engagement and policy impact

Forster has engaged with policymakers at UK Parliament, briefed delegations at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meetings and Conference of the Parties, advised departments such as the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, and contributed to reports for Committee on Climate Change and think tanks including Chatham House and Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. He has appeared in media outlets linked to BBC, The Guardian, The Times, and international outlets reporting on climate science, and has provided expert testimony to parliamentary committees and international advisory panels connected to World Bank and International Monetary Fund climate discussions. His outreach includes public lectures at institutions such as Royal Institution, university public series at University of Oxford and University of Leeds, and participation in science-policy platforms like Science Media Centre and Royal Society policy events.

Category:British climatologists Category:Climate scientists