About Stuart Bell

Stuart leads the Numerical Modelling section.

Areas of expertise

• Operational Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP).
• Verification of Operational Forecasts.
• High Performance Computing.
• Post Processing of NWP model output

Publications by Stuart Bell

Current activities

• Planning and resourcing of Evaluation and Diagnostics, Post-processing and Software Infrastructure themes within the forecasting R&D Programme.
• Responsibility for delivery into Production of improvements to NWP models and post-processing of model output.
• Responsibility for monitoring the performance of the Operational NWP System and ensuring delivery of Forecasting
• Accuracy Key Performance Targets.
• Responsibility for delivery of an efficient IT infrastructure to support NWP in both R&D and Operations
• Planning the upgrade of NWP systems following the migration to the next generation HPC platform.

Career Background

Aside from one year as a forecaster, Stuart's focus for much of his Met Office career has been in the development of successively more sophisticated data assimilation systems (Optimum Interpolation, Analysis Correction, 3D and 4D variational analysis); the assimilation of satellite and conventional observing systems to improve NWP model initial conditions; and the operational implementation of those data assimilation systems on High Performance Computing Platforms.

Stuart took up the post of Head of Numerical Modelling in 2001 and has since shifted focus towards operational NWP modelling systems, the downstream postprocessing of model output and the verification and validation of models, whilst retaining a strong interest in computational science having recently led the technical team responsible for procuring the current Met Office High Performance Computing platform.    

External Recognition

• Stuart received the L G Groves prize for Meteorological Observations in 1998 for work to improve the use of observations in NWP data assimilation systems.