I am a climate scientist interested in all aspects of past and future climate change.  Since 1989, my colleagues and I in the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparson (PCMDI) have championed an approach to studying climate that engages modeling groups worldwide and relies on multi-model results to gauge the extent to which differences in model formulations influence projections.  In my research, I have analyzed results from global climate models to learn about historical climate change, prospective climate change, and paleoclimates (including the last ice age).  I developed a popular diagram (commonly referred to as a “Taylor diagram”) to characterize model skill in simulating climate, and model evaluation has generally been a theme running throughout my research. 

In addition to research, I have helped lead international efforts to coordinate modeling activities and establish data standards that facilitate the sharing of data across the climate science community.  I helped establish the Climate and Forecast (CF) metadata standards, which have been widely adopted by scientists keen on producing data that can be analyzed by others and compared with data from a variety of sources.  In several leadership positions, I have helped foster cooperation among international climate modeling centers through “model intercomparison” projects. 

Ph.D., 1978, Geology and Geophysics, Yale University

M.Phil., 1974, Geology and Geophysics, Yale University

B.A., 1971, Physics (cum laude), Pomona College

See google scholar list.

• Haagen-Smit Award given by the California Air Resources Board "to extraordinary individuals to recognize significant career accomplishments" in air quality and climate change, 2020.
• Named an American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fellow "For improving our ability to evaluate and intercompare climate models, and for advancing understanding of climate forcings, responses, and feedbacks," 2019.
• Co-winner of an American Meteorological Society Special Group Award "For leadership in implementing, maintaining, and facilitating access to the CMIP3 multi-model dataset archive, which led to a new era in climate system analysis and understanding," 2010.
• Lead Author, IPCC Working Group I Fourth Assessment Report, Chapter 8: “Climate Models and their Evaluation”, and Contributing Author to Chapters 1 and 10, 2004-2006.  For its four assessments reports, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shared (with Al Gore) the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1998 co-winner of the “Norbert Gerbier – MUMM Award”, given annually by the World Meteorological Organization for our paper entitled “Search for human influences on the thermal structure of the atmosphere,” by Santer, Taylor, et al., Nature, 382, 39-46, 1996.

 

Selected leadership roles

• A Lead Author of Chapter 8 ("Climate Models and their Evaluation") of the 2007 IPCC Working Group 1 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). 
• Founding co-chair (2014-2020) and current member of the WGCM Infrastructure Panel (WIP)
• Co-author of the CF Metadata Conventions, founding chair (2006-2021), and current member of the Governance Panel, former chair (2006-2023) and current member of Conventions Committee.
• Former member (2008-2022) and active emeritus member (2022-present) of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) Panel.
• Co-Coordinator (1993-2002) of the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP).