About Vicky Pope

Vicky Pope

Areas of expertise include:

• Integrating environmental science to provide new services;

• climate science relevant to policy and planning;

• communication of climate science;

• climate modelling.

Publications by Vicky 

Current activities

Vicky is responsible for maximising the benefits for government of our science capability and that of our partners. This involves identifying opportunities for innovation; integrating cutting edge environmental science developed by the Met Office and our partners, with the latest technology to provide new and improved services. This role draws on her experience as a climate scientist and in translating that science for government and others.

Career background

Vicky joined the Met Office in the 1980s and later obtained her PhD in Meteorology from the University of Reading. In the 1990s she became a manager first of stratospheric research and then of climate model development in 1996. In this latter role she worked with other lead scientists in the Met Office Hadley Centre on the development of the climate models used in IPCC 3rd and 4th Assessment Reports and for the UK Climate Projections released in 2009 (UKCP09).

Building on her scientific research experience, in 2002 she became a senior manager responsible for various aspects of the climate research programme for various government departments - MoD, Defra and DECC. In these roles the focus was on the provision of climate change advice to underpin policy development. For example she led the Met Office contribution of science to the Stern Review on the economics of climate change. More recently, she led work to improve the communication of climate change in the light of its increasing importance in the public arena.

External recognition

• Vicky is a member of the Living With Environmental Change Partners Board
• Vicky represents the Met Office on the International Space Innovation Centre Members Board
• Vicky was a member of the Defra Adaptation Partnership Board
• Vicky was a member of the Science Advisory Board for the Climate Change gallery at the Science Museum and @Bristol
• Vicky was a member of the British Council Science Advisory Group
• Vicky served on the Global Environmental Change Committee between 2005 and 2010, advising DECC and Defra on their science requirements for Environmental Change
• Vicky was a member of the UKCIP (UK Climate Impacts Programme) Steering group between 2006 and 2010. The group includes key users and providers, to ensure that the best possible and most useful information is provided through UKCIP and that there is a continuing dialogue to improve the provision and use of climate change information.
• Vicky has written a number of articles for the national media. These include:
  • Pope, V 2012: Do you believe in climate change?, Guardian
  • Pope, V 2010: How science will shape climate adaptation plans, Guardian
  • Pope, V 2010: Research is robust but communication is weak, Times
  • Pope, V 2009: Scientists must rein in misleading climate change claims, Guardian