As a postgraduate research student in the Department of Meteorology at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, you will be part of a large and vibrant international community.
You'll work alongside leading academics and a thriving group of postdoctoral researchers.
Dedicated Department
We are the only dedicated meteorology department in the UK, and also host significant components of the ) and the
A new, state-of-the-art international headquarters for the is also to be built on our Whiteknights campus.
By choosing to study with us, you will join what will become the largest community of weather and climate scientists in the world.
"The skills learnt and the scientists that I was lucky enough to meet and work with during my PhD gave me the skills and confidence to go out into the post-PhD world".
Dr Nathanael Melia, former PhD student
Global impact
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Sustainable University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
- 3rd in the UK for research power in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences (Times Higher Education, Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest Research Excellence Framework 2021)
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4th in the UK for environmental and ethical performance (People and Planet University League 2024/25)
- 5th in the world for Atmospheric Science (ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø is 1st out of the UK universities ranked in the ShanghaiRanking 2024 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects)
- 5th in the UK for Earth and Marine Sciences (Guardian University Guide, 2025)
- First ever winner of the Times Higher Education (THE) award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership (2023)
- Awarded a 2021 Queen's Anniversary Prize in recognition of our world-leading research, teaching, stewardship and outreach on climate change
- The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø is the most represented organisation in the UK on the Reuters Hot List of the world’s top climate scientists 2021
- Our climate scientists played a leading role in the latest , which warns that damaging effects of climate change are already being seen across the globe
- We gave the world climate stripes. Designed by Professor Ed Hawkins, the climate stripes present a compelling visualisation of how global temperatures have risen since the mid-19th century due to human-caused climate change. The stripes have been shared by the likes of Greta Thunberg and the United Nations, as well as thousands of others around the world.
World-leading research
The Department of Meteorology has a long track record of , working with a wide variety of industrial and academic partners to achieve significant social and economic benefits.
Research within the Department is broad and extensive, covering the areas of weather, climate, earth observation and space weather, with regular seminar programmes in all research areas.
Our pioneering research informs how governments, organisations, industries and communities respond to complex issues such as climate change, ozone depletion, atmospheric pollution and space weather.
97% of our research is world leading or internationally excellent and 100% of our research impact has been classed ‘outstanding’ or ‘very considerable’ (REF 2021, combining 4* and 3* submissions – Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences).