Peter Thorne

Professor Peter Thorne is the Director of the ICARUS Climate Research Centre at Maynooth University. Within the Climate+ Co-Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Water, he serves as Co-Principal Investigator for both the Monitoring research theme and the Policy Response Unit.

Peter plays a leading role in international climate observation and advisory work. He is Deputy Chair of the Global Climate Observing System and Chair of its Atmospheric Observations Panel for Climate. He is also a Coordinating Lead Author for the upcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, due for publication in 2027. In Ireland, he serves on the Climate Change Advisory Council and chairs its Adaptation Committee. He also holds leadership positions on multiple expert panels and committees within the World Meteorological Organization.

Peter leads a major project for the Copernicus Climate Change Service, focusing on the collection, preservation, and provision of global land and marine meteorological observations. He has previously led Horizon 2020 projects, advised the Citizens’ Assembly on climate change, and served as an independent advisor to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action. Before joining Maynooth University, he worked at the Nansen Centre, NOAA’s National Centres for Environmental Information, and the UK Met Office.

He has published over 100 scientific papers on topics including climate observations, detection and attribution, and projections, and regularly appears in the media to communicate climate science to the public.