Dr Matthew Hort OBE
Matt is the Met Office Principal Fellow for Hazards, providing scientific leadership across the understanding, assessment and communication of hazards and their impacts.
His work focuses on connecting science with the needs of decision-makers, helping to strengthen preparedness, resilience and response to natural and non-weather hazards. He works across scientific disciplines, operational services and partnerships to identify where Met Office science and capability can have the greatest impact.
Matt is also Chair of the Natural Hazards Partnership (NHP), which brings together organisations from across the UK science and practitioner communities to strengthen the understanding of natural hazards and improve preparedness and response.
In the 2025 New Year Honours, Matt was awarded an OBE for services to atmospheric dispersion science and emergency response.
Areas of expertise
- Natural and non-weather hazards
- Science for decision-making and risk communication
- Atmospheric dispersion and air quality
- Hazard science, preparedness and emergency response
- Multi-hazard approaches and partnerships
- Volcanic ash, radiological and other dispersion hazards
Current activities
Matt provides strategic scientific leadership across the Met Office’s work on hazards, helping to shape how science, technology and partnerships can improve the understanding and management of risk.
A particular focus of his work is strengthening the connection between scientific capability and the needs of decision-makers, including government, resilience organisations and operational responders. This includes looking across the pathway from scientific understanding and monitoring through to forecasting, communication, preparedness and response.
As Chair of the Natural Hazards Partnership, Matt works across the UK hazards community to strengthen collaboration between scientists, practitioners and decision-makers. The partnership brings together UK bodies from the science and practitioner communities to improve readiness and response through scientific advancement and better coordination.
Matt also continues to provide expertise in atmospheric dispersion and air quality, particularly where modelling supports emergency response and high-impact decision-making. This includes the development and application of the Met Office Dispersion Model (NAME) for events including volcanic eruptions, nuclear and radiological incidents, industrial releases, animal disease and air quality.
Career background
Matt joined the Met Office in 1999, initially specialising in atmospheric dispersion modelling and its application to operational emergency response. He worked on the development of the Met Office Dispersion Model (NAME) and its application to a range of environmental emergencies and supported the development of the Met Office’s 24/7 Environmental Monitoring and Response Centre.
In 2009 he became manager of the Atmospheric Dispersion Research and Response Group, before becoming Head of the Atmospheric Dispersion and Air Quality Team in 2013. In these roles, Matt contributed scientific leadership and advice during nationally and internationally significant events, including the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull and Grímsvötn and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident.
Over his career, Matt’s work has broadened from atmospheric dispersion to the wider challenge of using hazard science effectively in preparedness, services and decision-making. In 2023 he became a Met Office Principal Fellow.
He has played leading roles in national and international groups concerned with understanding hazards, improving scientific capability and applying science to emergency preparedness and response.
External recognition
- Chair of the Natural Hazard Partnership (NHP).
- Co Chair of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Advisory Group on Volcanic Science for Aviation Applications (AG-VSA).
- Member of several UK government scientific advisory groups concerned with the application of atmospheric dispersion modelling for emergency response.
- Former chair of the UK Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling Liaison Committee (ADMLC) 2008-2019.
- Former UK member of the International Civil Aviation Organisations international volcanic ash task force.