Dr Ben Booth appointed to Met Office Academic Partnership post
The School of Computer Science is delighted to welcome Dr Ben Booth as part of the prestigious Met Office Academic Partnership (MOAP) at Leeds.
This strategic appointment marks a significant step in strengthening the University’s long-standing collaboration with the Met Office. Leeds is a founding member of MOAP, and this cross-faculty initiative now spans the Schools of Earth and Environment, Geography, Mathematics, Business, and Computer Science. The partnership is designed to foster innovation, impact, and interdisciplinary research in weather and climate science, modelling, machine learning, and environmental data science.
Dr Booth is AI Lead for the Met Office’s AI4Climate Downscaling Flagship project, where he directs research into applying deep learning methods to translate global weather and climate information into locally relevant insights.
His team explores how cutting-edge machine learning models can be trained on high-resolution datasets to better understand and predict regional climate impacts and hazards. His new academic role in the School of Computer Science will enable deeper collaboration with Leeds experts in AI and atmospheric science.
Dr Booth brings to Leeds a wealth of experience from his time with the UK Climate Projections (UKCP09 and UKCP18) and has long-standing ties with researchers at the University.
He said: “I’m really excited about taking on this new role. Emerging deep-learning techniques are rapidly changing the way we produce, analyse, and use weather and climate information. I’m looking forward to building new connections with AI and atmospheric expertise in Leeds, and exploring how we can make best use of these new approaches, together”.
Professor John Marsham, Met Office Joint Chair at Leeds, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome Ben to an academic post in Leeds. Machine learning is revolutionising weather prediction and changing how we produce climate information, and Ben has a long history of collaboration with Leeds.”
Professor Gordon Love, Head of the School of Computer Science, added: “Ben’s MOAP appointment to the School of Computer Science opens new opportunities for Leeds to link its atmospheric science and computer science better, and deliver real-world impact through improved weather and climate predictions.”
Dr Booth joins a cohort of MOAP academics recently appointed across the University. These include Dr Lorenzo Tomassini, Dr Steve Abel, Dr Tim Andrews, and Dr Camilla Mathison, whose roles are enhancing the University’s research into observations, weather and climate modelling, emissions, and mitigation. Together, they aim to create a broad and robust network that advances the science and practical application of climate and weather prediction.
