About Simon Keogh

Simon manages the SDPS group

Simon's areas of expertise include:

• Satellite imagery

• Ocean wind scatterometers

• Sea surface temperature radiometers

• HF radar

• NWP assimilation trials

• ITIL Service Management

Current activities

Simon's current work includes:

• Leading a team of scientists and engineers;

• Managing a project to gain the benefits of the NPP satellite, which is due for launch in October 2011. This will include gaining benefits from the ATMS, CrIS and VIIRS instruments;

• Managing the development of systems for producing operational imagery for NWP and Forecasting from geostationary and polar orbiting satellites.

Career background

Before joining the Met Office Simon gained a BSc(Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics from the University of Leeds and then a PhD at the University of Southampton (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton), in the use of marine radiometers for the correction of satellite sea surface temperatures.

Simon began his Met Office career in 1999 after joining the Observations Development  area as a support scientist focused on improving our marine and land surface observing networks. From 2003 Simon spent five years working as the scatterometer scientist in the Satellite Applications branch. His most recent achievements in that area were the introduction of the MetOp-ASCAT and WindSat scatterometers into our Numerical Weather Prediction system, as well as the reintroduction of ERS-2 scatterometer into Met Office operational use. In 2008 Simon joined the Ocean Forecasting research and development area, to take part in the MyOcean EC project. Throughout his career he has been an enthusiastic member of the Institute of Physics.

External recognition

• Sep 2011 onwards: Simon currently represents the Met Office at EUMETSAT STG-OPSWG.
• Sep 2008 - Jun 2011: Simon led the Service Management Work Package in the EC FP7
  project "MyOcean" and was a member of the MyOcean Executive Committee.
• Jan 2006 - Aug 2008: Simon represented the Met Office on the EUMETSAT ASCAT Science
  Advisory Group.