Uwe Ulbrich

Uwe Ulbrich is a Senior Professor of Meteorology at the Free University of Berlin, where he serves as Head of the Climate Diagnostics and Meteorological Extreme Events Working Group within the Institute of Meteorology, part of the Department of Geosciences. He has held this senior professorship since October 1, 2024, following a distinguished career that included a C3-Professorship in Meteorology at the same institution from 2004-2024 and earlier work as a scientific staff member at the Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology at the University of Cologne from 1990-2004.

Ulbrich earned his habilitation in Meteorology at the University of Cologne in 2000 with a thesis on "baroclinic wave disturbances and cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere." He completed his doctoral studies in Meteorology at the University of Cologne from 1985-1989, with a dissertation titled "The atmospheric energy cycle of stationary and transient waves," and earned his diploma in Geophysics from the same institution between 1978-1985.

His research focuses on diagnosing atmospheric physical processes, particularly understanding climate variability and meteorological extreme events in mid-latitudes, climate model validation, and anthropogenic climate change. His work specifically examines cyclone activity, large-scale variability patterns like the NAO, and identifying large-scale conditions for storms, floods, and extreme rainfall events. He also engages in interdisciplinary research with the insurance industry and legal sciences regarding the impacts of climate change and extreme events.

Analysis of Ulbrich's recent publications reveals a strong focus on practical applications of meteorological research, particularly in infrastructure risk assessment. His work increasingly examines how extreme weather events impact transportation systems (railways, roads, public transit), with a growing emphasis on developing predictive models for weather-related risks. His research combines climate modeling with real-world impact assessment, bridging the gap between theoretical meteorology and practical risk management.

Scientific Awards

• THE GORDON MANLEY WEATHER PRIZE OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY (2008)

Ulbrich serves as Executive Editor of the journal "Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences" (NHESS) and holds leadership positions in several international scientific initiatives including the Steering Committee of "MedCLIVAR," the Advisory Board of the "National Grid Initiative" (NGI-DE), and the Belmont Forum E-infrastructure & Data Management working group. He is also Deputy Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the "Deutsches Komitee Katastrophenvorsorge" (DKKV) and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the "Forschungsforum öffentliche Sicherheit."

As Head of the Climate Diagnostics and Meteorological Extreme Events Working Group, Ulbrich leads a team conducting research on windstorms, climate extremes, and their societal impacts. His group participates in major research projects including ClimXtreme, NFDI4Earth, and WEXICOM, focusing on understanding and predicting extreme weather events and their implications for climate adaptation strategies.