New Head of School appointed for SMPCS
11 August 2021
Professor Andrew Charlton Perez has been appointed the new Head of School for the School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences.
His appointment follows a recent recruitment process and is for a fixed period of six years.
Andrew will take up his new role on 1 September 2021, replacing Professor Ben Cosh who is taking up a new role at the University of Kent.
Andrew is currently one of the Heads of the Department for Meteorology. He joined the department as a research staff member in 2006, where he had a Natural Environment Research Council postdoctoral fellowship, before becoming a Lecturer in 2008 and then promoted to a Professor in August 2018.
Prior to this, Andrew had completed his undergraduate degree and PhD in Meteorology at Reading, before working as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University in New York.
Announcing the appointment, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Planning & Resource) Mark Fellowes said, “I am pleased that Andrew is taking on this role. Sustainability is one of the key principles of our University strategy and Andrew has been involved in some interesting projects to highlight the issue of environmental sustainability. He also brings strong leadership experience to the role. I look forward to working with Andrew and supporting him in his efforts to enhance the reputation and presence of the School in the sector.”
Andrew said, “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead SMPCS, home to so much excellent research, teaching and impact. I have really enjoyed working with many colleagues across the University in recent years as part of the Curriculum Framework project, our Partnering for the Planet initiative and the upcoming Climate Education summit. In my new role I look forward to linking the work in SMPCS with these and other exciting projects across the University.
“I will continue to work flexible hours so that I can share family caring responsibilities with my wife.”
Andrew’s research focuses on stratospheric dynamics and climate with a particular interest in how the stratosphere contributes to predictability on sub-seasonal to seasonal timescales. He has led a number of international initiatives in stratospheric science including the Stratospheric Network for the Assessment of Predictability, a joint project of WCRP-SPARC and the Sub-seasonal to Seasonal prediction project. He is currently co-chair of the World Climate Research Programme Academy, a major new international initiative designed to enhance the global provision of climate research training. He is also interested in the sustainability of international climate research and is leading the development of a new multi-hub format for the 2022 SPARC General Assembly with linked conference hubs in Qingdao, Reading and Boulder.
Andrew has also been heavily involved with teaching and learning, and in 2016/17 was awarded a University Teaching Fellowship in recognition for his excellent contribution in this area to the University. He works closely on education and training with the World Meteorological Organisation and is the co-chair of the 14th Symposium on Meteorological Education and Training to be held online in November.