Warren Washington Wins the 2019 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement

Warren Washington, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, has received the 2019 Tyler Prize for environmental achievement.

The award, administered by the University of Southern California, recognizes passionate environmental science dedication across a spectrum of environmental research fields. It is the premiere international award for environmental science and is often referred to as the “Nobel for the Environment.” Dr. Washington will share the award’s $200,000 honorarium with this year’s other winner, Michal Mann.

Dr. Washington’s research focuses on creating atmospheric computer models that use fundamental laws of physics to predict future states of the atmosphere and help scientists understand climate change. His past research involved using general circulation models and the Parallel Climate Model. His current research involves using the Community Earth System Model to study the impacts of climate change in the 21st century. Both models were used extensively in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment, for which National Center for Atmospheric Research scientists, including Dr. Washington, shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Washington has held presidential appointments in the Carter, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations. He served on the National Science Board as a member from 1994 to 2006 and as its chair from 2002 to 2006. In 2010, he was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Obama.

Dr. Washington holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in meteorology both from Oregon State University, as well as a Ph.D. in meteorology from Pennsylvania State University.