An external view of the Met Office building at night.

Dr Tim Mitchell

Areas of expertise

Tim specialises in turning scientific progress into information that can be used practically. It is often the case that scientists make significant progress, but it is not immediately clear how this progress can be fully used. Conversely, people and businesses would like particular information about what will happen to climate that we are not immediately able to supply. Tim works to bridge the gap between our colleagues and our clients, using his experience of developing and providing climate data sets, both past (observed) and future (modelled). He engages with our clients to better understand their needs, discusses with colleagues how we might deploy our capabilities to meet those needs, and works with them to transform the existing potential into climate services. 

Current activities

  • Tim has improved a prototype seasonal forecast of tropical cyclone landfall for East China. He issues this product and works with colleagues to evolve it into a climate service.
  • Tim is engaged with industry partners with assets in the North Sea, who currently have a narrow operational window in summer for maintaining those assets. He is looking for opportunities to better define, or expand that operational window.

Career background

Tim previously worked in the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, and at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.