WCRP congratulates the 2020 winners of the WCRP/GCOS International Data Prize.
 
The Prize committee, consisting of representatives from WCRP, Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and their joint panels the Atmospheric Observation Panel for Climate (AOPC), the Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate (TOPC) and the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC), was likewise impressed by the outstanding candidates nominated this year and decided to award two prizes to:
  • Dr Laia COMAS-BRU
  • Dr Lijing CHENG

 Data Prize 2020

Laia Comas-Bru is a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of Reading (UK). She uses the geochemical characteristics of speleothems (cave formations) to examine the role of regional drivers in shaping local and regional climate conditions, as well as for climate model output evaluation. She spearheaded the PAGES-sponsored SISAL (Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis) working group, which developed the first global data synthesis of speleothem stable isotope records.
 
Lijing Cheng is an associate professor from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. His current research includes improving the quality of ocean temperature and salinity measurements, estimating ocean heat and salinity changes, and understanding the flow of heat and salt/freshwater in the climate system.

Call for Nominations

now closed

The development of high-quality, real-world data sets constitutes an on-going need of the climate research, observations, and modelling communities and their joint activities. Key areas in data collection for climate change research still remain under-sampled today, also affecting efforts in climate model calibration, evaluation, and reanalysis.

Recognizing this need for further advancing climate observations and their coordination, the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) are seeking nominations for the 2019 edition of the “WCRP/GCOS International Data Prize”. The prize is awarded annually to an early- to mid-career researcher for his or her outstanding contribution to the Earth system science community. The WCRP/GCOS Data Prize may honour achievements in data product generation, data management, data preservation, data monitoring, and other data relevant activities. In particularly successful cases, the establishment of standards or infrastructure for global data repositories may be considered for eligibility. The candidate’s activities shall result in concrete achievements that significantly facilitate community access to well-documented data otherwise not available and follow open-access paradigms to the extent possible.

The prize encompasses a certificate signed by the Chairs of the WCRP Joint Scientific Committee and the GCOS Steering Committee, as well as funding for the recipient to present the results of their research at a major conference or meeting of their choice. The WCRP/GCOS Data Prize was established in 2016 and is awarded annually in conjunction with the “WCRP/WWRP International Prize for Model Development”, which was first awarded in 2014. Together, these two prizes for notable achievements in model and data development aim to honour, recognize, and foster research activities in their respective fields, as well as stress their mutual interdependence.

Selection Criteria:

Candidates should:

  1. Be within the first ten years of their career as measured by receipt of a PhD or equivalent highest qualification
  2. Have made a significant contribution to the provision of climate or Earth system data, preferably with a visible impact on and by studies based on said data
  3. Have visible achievements within the wider community as demonstrated through publications, editorships, organizing or convening activities, and/or strong engagement in community efforts for data provision, standardization, and utilization

Selection process:

The candidates should be nominated by filling in the nomination form (.docx). This includes a statement from the proposer (preferably a person with a good knowledge of the candidate’s work) as well as from a seconder. These statements should specifically address the above selection criteria. The application should also be supported by: up to 3 papers or technical notes documenting the nature and impact of the data collection that was compiled or to which access was significantly facilitated; evidence of the candidate’s individual contribution; and the candidate’s CV.

Nominations should be sent by email to WCRP (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and GCOS (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) offices and must be received before 30 September 2020. The winner will be announced within 10 weeks of the nomination closing date.

If no suitable candidate is found, the prize will not be awarded.