Climate change researcher Prof Philip Jones among members of UEA community recognised in New Year’s Honours list
By: Communications
Professor Philip Jones, Emeritus Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences who was the Director of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia (UEA) from 1997 to 2016, has been recognised with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to climatology.
A distinguished voice in climate research, Prof Jones is known for his work on the time series of hemispheric and global surface temperatures, and has written over 450 papers over the last 45 years.
Prof Jones’s work has gained a number of awards in a long career, including the Hugh Robert Mill medal in 1995, as well as the Royal Meteorological Society for work on UK Rainfall Variability, the first Hans Oesschger Medal from the European Geophysical Society in 2002 and the International Journal of Climatology Prize from the Royal Meteorological Society.
Speaking of his award, Prof Jones said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition for services to climatology and would like to express my gratitude. This award is not only a reflection of my efforts but also those of my colleagues at CRU and UEA.”
UEA Vice-Chancellor Prof David Maguire said: “This award is recognition of Prof Jones’s outstanding work in the crucial area of climate change, a subject in which UEA is a global leader, thanks in no small part to Phil. Many congratulations to him.”
You can read more about UEA’s work in climate change on the University website.
Prof Jones was one of several eminent people with UEA connections to receive an honour in the annual New Year list.
Author, Nobel Prize winner and UEA graduate Sir Kazuo Ishiguro was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for his services to literature, an honour only given to 65 people. Ishiguro joined the University’s MA in Creative Writing in 1979 and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017.
Presenter, singer and honorary graduate Myleene Klass was awarded an MBE for services to women's health and miscarriage awareness. Myleene received her honorary degree from UEA in 2022, and the following year linked up again with the University to open its new education centre, in partnership with IntoUniversity, in Great Yarmouth.
And there was also a knighthood for writer, actor and comedian Stephen Fry, who received an honorary degree from UEA in 1999. Sir Stephen played his part in the University’s 60th birthday celebrations last year, when he sent a video message to its donors and scholars as part of the Annual Scholarship Reception.
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