Professor Florian Pappenberger has been appointed Director of Forecasts at ECMWF. He took up the position on 1 July after ECMWF’s Council approved the appointment.
Professor Pappenberger has worked as a Principal Scientist in the Forecast Department since 2006.
"I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to lead the Forecast Department at ECMWF at an exciting time for the Centre,” he said.
“Our new Strategy sets ambitious goals for the next ten years, including the ability to predict high-impact weather events up to two weeks ahead. I look forward to working with colleagues at the Centre and in our Member and Co-operating States to achieve these goals."
Professor Pappenberger is the author of over 150 publications and has won multiple awards. At ECMWF, he has been responsible for the Operational Centre of the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) and has led the Applications team.
He is also a Visiting Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Bristol.
The post of Director of Forecasts became vacant when Dr Florence Rabier was appointed as ECMWF’s Director-General in January 2016.
“Florian brings a wealth of expertise and experience to this position, which will stand him in good stead as he steers the Forecast Department through a period of rapid development,” Dr Rabier said.
“Florian’s appointment to the leadership team brings a new set of skills needed to tackle the scientific and organisational challenges the Centre faces as we continuously strive to improve our weather predictions for the benefit of our Member and Co-operating States.”