Dr Eunice Lo, Research Fellow in Climate Change and Health in the Cabot Institute for the Environment, and Professor Dann Mitchell, Professor of Climate Science have been recognised for their contributions to our understanding of the impacts of climate change, and were presented with their awards at the Royal Meteorological Society Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 4 June, 2025 at Hartwell House in Aylesbury.
Dr Lo won the individual L F Richardson Award which is given annually in recognition of a impactful scientific paper by a member of the Society who is in their early career in meteorology.
Dr Lo is a globally recognised climate scientist whose innovative research bridges meteorology and epidemiology to understand the human health impacts of extreme weather.
In 2023, Dr Lo published a paper titled “Optimal heat stress metric for modelling heat-related mortality varies from country to country”, in the International Journal of Climatology. She solved a long-standing issue in the field by finding a version of heat-stress that best identifies negative human health outcomes around the world. Her innovative research is not only advancing scientific frontiers but also providing essential information to reduce risks to human health in a changing climate.
She is playing a crucial role in the 4th UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, as well as contributing to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. Based at University of Bristol and with a PhD in Meteorology from the University of Reading (2018), Dr Lo has built an outstanding publication record with 32 scientific papers to her name.
Dr Lo said: “I am very happy to receive the L F Richardson Award from the Royal Meteorological Society. The excellent research published in RMetS journals has been a vital resource for my own understanding of the field, so being recognised for advancing science within this community is an absolute honour.
“My work at the University of Bristol has focused on extreme weather and its impacts on human health. It is incredibly exciting to conduct research in this rapidly emerging field alongside the Bristol Climate Dynamics Group, the Cabot Institute for the Environment, the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, and collaborators from other disciplines such as social sciences and the public sector.
“This award recognises a global heat stress-mortality paper that I published in 2023. The paper would not have been possible without the contributions of a consortium of collaborators from 12 countries. I would like to thank and share this award with all my co-authors. I look forward to sharing more of my research through RMetS journals and events, which have been successful in fostering a truly supportive community—one that I am grateful to be part of.”
Dr Lo was also jointly presented with the RMetS Award for Impact 2024, alongside Professor Dann Mitchell. The award recognises people, projects or programmes within the academic, scientific or business communities who have made significant contributions to educating, informing or motivating organisations in their response to meteorological challenges.
Professor Dann Mitchell and the health research team at Bristol Climate Change Group have created significant and lasting impact across the public, academic and policy domains, sustained over a number of years.
This has led directly to improved information for policy makers and planners. The impact is based on a strong foundation of pioneering climate science. For instance, Dann was a major driving force in setting up and establishing the HAPPI project, which provided new evidence on the benefits of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, compared to 2C.
Working with the Met Office, as the University of Bristol Joint Chair for the Met Office Academic Partnership, Dann has helped to galvanise the research community around key gaps in research, providing a focal point for discussion on climate and health and informing the Met Office weather-climate health strategy.
Professor Mitchell and Dr Lo said: “We are thrilled to have been chosen for this Impact Award. It is an incredible feeling that as academics we can see our published work helping society in meaningful and positive ways. In our case, this was done through health protection, policy engagement and through strengthening the impact of climate on health in legal settings.
“The award is for climate change and health research from our team in Bristol, which is made up of climate scientists, epidemiologists, clinicians, and social scientists, and of course many of the impact we rely on has come from different individuals within this team - so this award is very much for all of them too.”
Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said: “This year’s Awards ceremony is especially meaningful as we celebrate 175 years since the founding of the Society.
“Returning to Hartwell House, where it all began, allows us to reflect on the extraordinary legacy of meteorological science – and to honour those who are shaping its future. Our heartfelt congratulations go to each of this year’s winners, whose work exemplifies the highest standards of excellence.”