A leading climate scientist from the University of Reading has received an OBE at a royal investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez, head of the School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences, was formally appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 14 January by the Prince of Wales.
The academic was recognised for his contribution to climate science and education, having been named in the King’s Birthday Honours list in June 2025.
Professor Charlton-Perez said receiving the honour was a “humbling and memorable experience” and reflected the work of many colleagues and partners involved in improving climate education for young people.
He has played a key role in delivering the National Climate Education Action Plan, helping to bring together more than 80 organisations to work on climate education initiatives.
As national co-lead of the Climate Ambassador programme, supported by nearly £4m in Department for Education funding, he has helped provide sustainability support to nurseries, schools and colleges across the UK.
More than 1,200 volunteers are now part of the scheme, which has worked with education providers on nearly 3,000 occasions to support climate education, promote green careers and improve climate resilience.
Professor Charlton-Perez is also a specialist in meteorology, with research focusing on stratospheric sudden warmings and their impact on surface weather. His work has contributed to improvements in winter weather forecasting.
He has received the Royal Meteorological Society’s LF Richardson Prize and has co-authored major scientific assessments on ozone depletion and stratospheric processes.
At the University of Reading, he was involved in securing international and government support to relocate the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts headquarters to the university’s Whiteknights campus.
The honour recognises his long-standing contribution to climate science and his efforts to strengthen climate education across the UK.
