CPAESS Chief Science Advisor Neil Jacobs elected AMS Fellow
Neil Jacobs has been elected a 2025 Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). Jacobs serves as the chief science advisor to the NOAA National Weather Service for the Unified Forecast System as a University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) scientist.
Jacobs is credited with spearheading the creation of the NOAA Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) to support community development of the Unified Forecast System (UFS). The UFS is intended to “support the Nation’s Weather Enterprise and to be the source system for NOAA’s operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) applications.” (Source.)
UCAR | CPAESS scientist Neil Jacobs who serves as the Chief Science Advisor for the Unified Forecast System (UFS) in the National Weather Service (NWS) has been recognized as an AMS Fellow.
Jacobs envisioned a barrier-free, open-source environment wherein NOAA and the research community – public and private sectors – could collaborate on government data and modeling systems like the UFS. The goal: to collectively solve forecasting problems in order to improve public safety during hazardous weather events and business operations that rely on accurate forecasts. This large-scale collaboration is unique and a model for future ventures involving government, academic, and industry partners.
In addition, Jacobs serves on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) SpectrumX advisory board, another approach to building relationships among university, government, and industry partners. SpectrumX is “the world’s largest academic hub where all radio spectrum stakeholders can innovate, collaborate, and contribute to maximizing social welfare of this resource.”
Jacobs is the former acting NOAA administrator, was affiliated with the World Meteorological Organization, and has served as chair of forecasting improvements for the AMS where he continues as a visiting policy fellow. He is the 2023 recipient of the AMS Kenneth C. Spengler Award for “leadership in fostering community collaboration across the weather, water, and climate enterprise.”
According to the AMS, election to AMS Fellow is a distinction reserved for those who have made “outstanding contributions to the atmospheric or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences or their applications during a substantial period of years.” Jacobs will be formally recognized at the 105th AMS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
