Professor Andrew Parnell has been appointed to lead a new multi-million-euro research programme to develop weather and climate services for Ireland using AI and data science, funded by Met Éireann.

The Met Éireann Weather and Climate Research Professorship was announced last December and Professor Parnell officially commenced the programme at UCD today (18 November).

Speaking on the appointment of Prof Andrew Parnell, Met Éireann Director, Eoin Moran said: “We welcome and congratulate Andrew on his appointment. It marks an exciting new chapter for the Met Éireann Weather and Climate Research Professorship at UCD.     

“This Professorship represents an ambitious and essential step towards advancing our understanding of weather and climate through Artificial Intelligence and ultimately enhancing Ireland’s preparedness and response to the challenges posed by the rapidly changing climate.  

“Recent extreme weather events and record global temperatures continue to remind us that we are at crucial climate juncture. With Professor Parnell’s leadership, Met Éireann is not only investing in groundbreaking research but also in Ireland’s future resilience, and we are keen to work closely with him and UCD, starting today.” 

The programme’s main aim is to create a world-class Weather and Climate research centre that will develop researchers through core PhD and postdoctoral research programmes, supported by state-of-the-art facilities. The centre will play a significant role in supporting Met Éireann to achieve its advancing strategic objectives such as enhancing citizen safety, bolstering economic and environmental resilience, and supporting multi-sectoral decision-making.

Professor Andrew Parnell said: “This exciting research programme will allow Ireland and Met Éireann to substantially improve their capabilities in providing services related to climate and weather whilst leveraging the full power of AI-based technologies.

“We are reaching the end of the critical period where we can still reduce our emissions in compliance with the Paris Agreement and will soon be forced to move into an era where we must also adapt to new weather conditions. I believe AI can play a vital role in understanding the impacts of our emissions and providing predictions of future extreme weather events.”

 The new centre will be hosted between UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics and UCD Earth Institute, and will draw expertise from their faculty as well as from UCD School of Computer Science and from Met Éireann.

About Prof Andrew Parnell

Andrew Parnell is a Professor of Data Science, previously Director of the Hamilton Institute at Maynooth University. His research is in machine learning and statistical modelling applied to many different climate and ecological areas. He is currently Principal Investigator and Deputy Director of the Research Ireland Co-Centre in Climate, Biodiversity and Water. He is also a funded investigator in the MAREI centre for Energy, Climate, and Marine Research and Innovation, and a funded investigator in the SFI Insight Centre for Data Analytics. He has more than 110 peer-reviewed publications and has received over €16 million in direct funding.