Chao Li

Chao Li is a Senior Research Scientist and Group Leader in the Department of Climate Variability at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M), Hamburg, Germany. He leads the Climate Impacts and Adaptation research group, focusing on climate dynamics, variability, and future climate scenarios. He also holds a Distinguished Guest Professor position at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, since 2024.

• PhD in Natural Sciences, University of Hamburg & Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (2012)
• MSc in Natural Sciences with distinction, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2006)
• BSc in Natural Sciences with distinction, Sun Yat-Sen University, China (2004)

Chao Li's research centers on climate dynamics and variability, particularly the transient and equilibrium responses of the climate system to anthropogenic forcing. His work investigates temperature and precipitation extremes under global warming, internal climate variability, and climate mitigation strategies. He is actively involved in developing plausible climate futures to enhance societal resilience, with research funded by the DFG under the Excellence Strategy EXC 2037 'CLICCS - Climate, Climatic Change, and Society'.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on large-scale atmospheric circulation changes (e.g., Walker and Hadley cells), climate extremes, ocean-atmosphere interactions, and the stability of key climate systems like the AMOC. His work utilizes advanced climate models and large-ensemble simulations to understand uncertainty and variability in future climate projections.

Notable scientific recognition includes having a 2020 Science Advances paper highlighted as a cover article and by the journal's chief editor.

Chao Li mentors several postdoctoral researchers and serves on multiple PhD advisory and examination committees, including joint programs with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ocean University of China. His research is integrated within major modeling initiatives such as WarmWorld and the Cluster of Excellence CLICCS.