ACCESS - Advancing Capacity for Climate  and Environment Social Science
ACCESS - Advancing Capacity for Climate  and Environment Social Science
Back to the Expert Database

Helen Roberts

Last modified: December 14, 2023
ACCESS Leadership College Fellows

Socio-Meteorologist working in the Weather and Climate Extremes and Impacts team
Met Office

helen.roberts@metoffice.gov.uk

About



The sector(s) I work in: Government agency

www.metoffice.gov.uk


Professional qualifications:

Chartered Meteorologist (Royal Meteorological Society)

Fellow of Royal Meteorological Society

Teaching qualification: Level 3 Award in Education and Training

Broadcaster: Co-host Mostly Weather podcast, contributor Weather Snap podcast, occasional TV weather presenter Ch5, BFBS, Met Office



Links


LinkedIn

Twitter

 



About the organisation(s) I've worked for



Organisation name:

Met Office


About my experience and expertise



Personal statement:

I joined the Met Office as a trainee weather forecaster in 2003, and spent much of my career as an Operational Meteorologist working in a variety of sectors, including military, aviation, transport, retail and media. Having completed an MSc in psychology, I am the UK’s first Socio-Meteorologist, working at the intersection of the social and physical sciences in order to ensure weather forecasts and warnings help people make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.

I am especially interested in communication that encourages behavioural response, with a particular focus on equipping people to prepare for and respond to extreme and impactful weather that is being exacerbated by our changing climate.



Key topic areas of research or interest:

  • Decision-science
  • Cognitive biases
  • Behavioural response
  • Understanding of probabilistic information and uncertainty
  • Risk communication
  • Contextual bias
  • Expertise
  • Extreme and impactful weather, including health impacts, with a particular focus on PTSD resulting from natural disasters
  • The psychology of weather


Publications:

Psychology weather forecasts

For the love of weather

Belief Bias & Extreme Weather



Other projects and networks:

Royal Meteorological Society

American Meteorological Society

British Psychological Society

European Congress of Psychology

Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST)

Met Office Academic Partners (MOAPs)

Behavioural Insights Team (BIT)

Behavioural Insights Group, National Severe Storms Lab (NSSL)

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

Office for National Statistics (ONS)



Skip to content