Dr. Robert (Robin) Webb, a longtime scientist in ESRL’s Physical Science Division (PSD) and the Chief of its Climate Analysis Branch, has been selected as the new Director of PSD.

Webb has been with NOAA in Boulder for 22 years. His recent research focuses on improving the use of climate products and services to provide information and decision support tools for proactive planning, impact mitigation, and decision making.

Webb has lent his expertise on numerous NOAA, interagency and international climate-focused assessments and working groups. He is the NOAA lead on the federal interagency Climate Change and Water Working Group (CCAWWG), focused on advancing scientific collaborations in support of water management as climate changes. He is also a member of the cross-line office NOAA West regional team, and is a co-lead of the NOAA Drought and Water Resources Climate Goal Execution Project. Webb was a climate science expert on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy-led delegation to the 10th Session of IPCC Working Group I, and a member of the U.S. State Department-led team for the High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policy (HMNDP) Final Declaration negotiations.

Webb has been a member of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Implementation Team and the ESRL liaison to the Western Water Assessment Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Program. He co-led an effort focused on reconciling projections of future Colorado River stream flow to inform policy and decision makers.

Best Wishes Bill...

Webb succeeds Dr. William (Bill) Neff, who directed PSD since 2005. Bill retired from federal service earlier this month after 45 years of distinguished service which began with the Environmental Sciences Services Administration (ESSA), a precursor to NOAA, in 1968 when he joined the Coast and Geodetic Survey as a Commissioned Officer.

For much of his career, Neff focused on linking weather and climate research and services to provide the nation with information to support policy, planning and decision-making. He recognized a critical gap in NOAA services between short-term weather forecasts and seasonal and longer-term climate outlooks, and partnered with the former Climate Diagnostics Center (CDC) through a joint research initiative to address this gap, the "Weather-Climate Connection."

We would like to thank Bill for his many years of dedicated service and wish him well in his retirement, and welcome Robin into his new role in PSD.

Posted: January 23, 2014