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New Director for the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory

14 March 2005

Professor Andrew Willmott has been appointed the next Director of the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory in Liverpool.

The Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL) is a leading world centre in tidal prediction and a leading European centre in modelling and forecasting shelf sea dynamics. It is one of the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Research Centres.

Professor Willmott said, "It's a great honour to be appointed Director of the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory. I am looking forward to working with the scientists there, to build on POL's well-deserved international reputation for conducting wide-ranging research on shelf seas."

"Due to the hard work and vision of my predecessor, Professor Ed Hill, the laboratory can look forward to an exciting new chapter in its contribution to international marine research. I intend to take its programme of research forward and encourage and develop more collaboration with partner institutes, both nationally and internationally. In the future I hope to expand POL's contribution to climate change research in the Arctic seas."

Sir John Lawton, Chief Executive for NERC, said, "I am delighted that a mathematician with Andrew's distinguished record in environmental science is taking on the leadership of the Proudman Laboratory, which is an important part of NERC's portfolio. It will benefit greatly from Andrew's experience and vision."

Professor Willmott is currently Professor of Applied Mathematics and Head of the School of Computing and Mathematics at Keele University, and Director of the Keele Centre for Wave Dynamics. He takes up his appointment as Director of the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory on 1 July 2005.

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. A digital image of Professor Willmott is available from the NERC Press Office.

2. Professor Willmott takes up the post of Director of POL on 1 July 2005. He succeeds Professor Edward Hill, who has been appointed Director of the Southampton Oceanography Centre from 1 May 2005.

3. After gaining his PhD from the University of East Anglia in 1978 Professor Wilmott spent two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the departments of Mathematics and Oceanography at the University of British Columbia. He took up a post as Assistant Professor of Oceanography at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California in 1981, returning to the UK in 1983 to become a 'New Blood Lecturer' at the University of Exeter. He is currently Professor of Applied Mathematics and Head of the School of Computing & Mathematics at Keele University, and Director of the Keele Centre for Wave Dynamics.

Professor Willmott has written and published 65 refereed journal papers and book chapters on a range of oceanographic and mathematical models. He is currently a member of a number of national and international committees, including the Scientific Co-ordinating Group for the International Polynya Programme, the Scientific Steering Group for NERC's Autosub Under Ice programme and the NERC Peer Review College.

4. The Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory moved to a refurbished facility on the University of Liverpool campus last year. The collaboration with the University has created a centre of excellence that is raising the profile of oceanographic sciences in the region to a much higher level. More information about the research carried out at POL can be found on the POL website.

5. The Natural Environment Research Council is one of the UK's research councils. It uses a budget of about £300m a year to fund and carry out impartial scientific research in the sciences of the environment. It is addressing some of the key questions facing mankind such as global warming, renewable energy and sustainable economic development.

Press release: 14/05