Professor Raymond Pierrehumbert FRS has been awarded the Royal Society’s Rumford Medal 2022 for outstanding contributions in the field of physics. The medal recognises Professor Pierrehumbert’s wide-ranging contributions to atmospheric physics, employing fundamental principles of physics to elucidate phenomena across the spectrum of planetary atmospheres.
Professor Pierrehumbert comments: ‘Throughout my career, my approach to climate has been based on the premise that a handful of fundamental physical principles could interact in various ways to produce the great diversity of climate phenomena, ranging from our immediate concern with the climate crisis caused by human-related carbon dioxide emissions to the novel climates found in our frontier age of exoplanet exploration. It is very gratifying to see this approach recognised by the award of the Rumford Medal. Going forward, the window on exoplanet climate enabled by the James Webb Space Telescope will open up new vistas for climate physics to explore. And of more immediate importance, it is yet another testament to the fact that the current concern over human-caused climate disruption rests on absolutely sound physical principles.’
‘On behalf of the Royal Society, I offer my congratulations to the outstanding researchers, individuals and teams whose contributions to our collective scientific endeavour have helped further our understanding of the world around us,’ comments Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society. ‘Science has always been a team game, and I’m proud to see such a wide array of skills and specialisms reflected in this year’s medals and awards.’
‘Ray’s work is respected throughout the field and he is a highly regarded colleague; I am delighted that the Royal Society has recognised him in this way and, would like to congratulate him on behalf of the Department of Physics,’ comments Professor Ian Shipsey FRS, Head of the Department of Physics.