International Association for Urban Climate

Dan Li receives IAUC’s Timothy Oke Award

We are delighted to announce that this year’s IAUC Timothy Oke Award for Original Research in the Field of Urban Climatology will be given to a truly exceptional scientist: Associate Professor Dan Li, at Boston University.

Dan has made numerous outstanding intellectual contributions to the field of urban climate and boundary layer meteorology. In the nine years since obtaining his PhD from Princeton University, Dan has produced a remarkable amount of highly cited and significant research which spans a phenomenal range of topics including turbulence, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, hydrology and global climate. His work combines extensive observations, numerical modelling, analytical methods and fundamental theory to make substantial advances in our understanding of meteorological concepts and associated real-world applications. This impressive skill set in combination with creativity, curiosity and diligence mean Dan’s work has already had, and will surely continue to have, a major impact on urban climate.

James Voogt receives IAUC’s 2022 Luke Howard award

We are delighted to announce Professor James Voogt of the University of Western Ontario, Canada, as the winner of the 2022 Luke Howard Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Urban Climatology.

Jamie is an excellent scientist and very well respected pillar of the urban climate community on multiple fronts. His research contributions are of the highest quality, resulting from his careful attention to detail and exemplary unhurried approach to solving complex issues. He is a world-renowned expert on urban climatology, and the leading expert on thermal anisotropy and remote sensing of urban surface temperatures. His early publications are considered classics and remain highly relevant (and extensively cited) since they underpin much of our current understanding concerning both observational and modelling topics. Given the already widespread use of remote sensing in urban areas, and the ongoing development in this field, these publications remain key for the numerous applications and services making use of remotely sensed data, as well as for our fundamental understanding of urban climate processes.

In addition to these considerable scientific contributions, Jamie has achieved an immense amount for the urban climate community. He played a crucial role in helping to establish the IAUC and has shown continued selfless dedication to IAUC activities, in part through numerous board positions (including president from 2014-2018). He also served on the AMS Board of the Urban Environment (including as chair from 2002-2005). He has been instrumental in raising the profile of urban climatology in national and international meteorological organisations, which led to the development of joint urban climate sessions between multiple organisations and has helped to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and the exchange of knowledge and skills that are important for safeguarding the well-being of urban populations.

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Dr. Gerald Mills, winner of the 2021 Luke Howard Award

The IAUC is delighted to announce Dr Gerald Mills of University College Dublin, Ireland, as the winner of the 2021 Luke Howard Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Urban Climatology.

Gerald is an influential urban climatologist and a remarkable researcher, widely known for his numerous scientific contributions, his genuine passion for the subject and its history, his generosity as a mentor and his exceptional dedication to the urban climate community.

Gerald’s research has had substantial impact across many areas of urban climatology. These include the urban heat island, modelling the urban canopy, the surface energy balance at multiple scales, indoor and outdoor climates, the links between cities and global climate change and the importance of sustainable urban design. He has been instrumental in the WUDAPT initiative and is now perhaps even more widely known as a co-author of the Urban Climates textbook, which has become one of the key texts not only for urban climatologists but also for multiple disciplines interested in the urban environment. Alongside these scientific contributions, Gerald has amassed an impressive knowledge of the history of urban climate. He has brought the work of early pioneers to the attention of the present-day community with remarkable commitment and enthusiasm. He can recite long passages of Luke Howard’s The Climate of London and has reedited this book, line by line, to make it available again for the scientific audience. For this alone, Gerald would be a worthy recipient of the Luke Howard Award.

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In this second year of the IAUC Timothy Oke Award for Original Research in the Field of Urban Climatology, we are delighted to announce that three awards will be made: Professor Benjamin Bechtel, at Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany; Associate Professor Leena Järvi, at the University of Helsinki, Finland; and Dr Iain D. Stewart, Fellow at the Global Cities Institute, University of Toronto, Canada. These three exceptional early-to mid-career researchers have each made major contributions to the field of urban climate, with their high quality, high impact and highly relevant work.

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