Press Releases
Arise Sir Brian!
Release Date : 18 June 2007
A world authority on climate, and a former head of the University of Reading's meteorological department, has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
Professor Brian Hoskins CBE, aged 62, has been with the University more than 35 years, is a leading authority on climate and meteorological issues and recently contributed to the Stern and IPCC reports.
He has been married to Jackie for 39 years, has two daughters - Brooke and Bryony – who both have PhDs. As well leading study into climate change, he also leads by example and has cycled to work ever since his first day at Reading.
Professor Hoskins, who lived in Wokingham for 29 years before moving to Pangbourne in September 2006, said: "Using maths to study weather and climate has always been incredibly interesting and challenging. It has also proved to be very important as our impact in changing climate has become clearer. My department at Reading has been a great place to do my research and I hope everyone there can share in this."
His Knighthood almost happened without his knowledge after the first letter from Downing Street failed to arrive: "I got a call at work about three weeks ago. The lady said she was calling from 10 Downing Street. After making sure that she had the right person, she asked me if I had received a letter from them recently. I said no. She went through my details including my home address in Wokingham. I told her that I had moved last September and our old house had been demolished!"
Professor Hoskins joined Reading in 1971 after a Cambridge mathematics degrees and post-doctorates in the US. His career started here as a post-doctorate researcher before climbing to professor at the age of 36 and Fellow of the Royal Society in his early 40s. He was head of Meteorology for six years, and, since 2001, a Royal Society Research Professor.
His research area is the understanding of atmospheric motion from frontal to global scales. His roles have included vice-chair of the World Climate Research Programme, President of the International Association of Meteorology and also of the Royal Meteorological Society, member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Met Office.
He has sung tenor in the Wokingham Choral Society for 27 years, was a keen hockey and cricket player but now prefers walking.
The University of Reading's Vice Chancellor, Professor Gordon Marshall, said: "I am absolutely delighted for Brian, and I know I speak for all his colleagues and the University as a whole when I say that. It is absolutely fitting for his enormous contribution to the study of climate variability and change to be recognised in this way.
"Brian is an unassuming man who has devoted his life to improving the world's knowledge of weather patterns and climate change, and raising the profile of this subject. Reading is immensely proud of him and is privileged to have such an eminent man working here, leading a world-respected department and setting the standard for all those who work with him.
"I hope he allows himself a moment of congratulation, although knowing Brian it will only be a moment."
Among the awards Professor Hoskins has already received are the Carl-Gustav Rossby Research Medal of the American Met. Society, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Met Society and Vilhelm Bjerknes Medal of the European Geophysical Society. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences and Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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