Mathematics professor Rupert Klein of Freie Universität was appointed a Fellow of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). An expert on computer simulations in Earth system analysis and climate impact research, Klein, along with the professor of mathematical statistics, Tilmann Gneiting of the University of Heidelberg, and the professor of climate physics, Tim Palmer from Oxford University, are the first three scientists to receive this Fellowship. During their three-year tenure, they will have access to the data center and databases of ECMWF and will share their research findings with the other scientists at ECMWF. The fellowship program is still in the process of being set up. Plans are being made for a total of ten Fellows, once the program is fully operational. ECMWF is an independent, international organization supported by 34 European countries.

“By granting me the fellowship, ECMWF acknowledges my applied mathematical research contributions in the area of theoretical and computational meteorology,” says  Rupert Klein. "Through the explicit invitation to reinforced cooperation, the Centre expresses a keen interest in the further development of my research agenda. To me, this is the highest compliment a scientist can receive and a great honor, as it comes from one of the most outstanding meteorological centers in the world."

Rupert Klein is a leading scientist in the areas of geophysical fluid dynamics and numerical modeling. He leads a research group in geophysical fluid dynamics at Freie Universität Berlin, where he is a professor of scientific computing in the Institute of Mathematics. Klein is a recipient of the prestigious Leibniz Prize, the most important German research award, and a Fellow of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. In addition to his numerical and modelling work in geophysical fluid dynamics, he has contributed to combustion process modeling.

The ECMWF Fellowship Programme aims to provide scientists in the field of meteorology a worldwide platform for exchanging ideas about their findings and for publishing research results on the ECMWF website as well as in leading journals. The fellowships are extended for three years, with the possibility of renewing one time for another three years.

ECMWF is a both a research institute and a 24/7 operational service, producing and disseminating numerical weather predictions to its member states. It was established in 1975 and is one of six members of the Coordinated Organizations, which also include the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Council of Europe (CoE), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).