Dr Matthew Hort
Matt is the Met Office Principal Fellow in Atmospheric Dispersion and Air Quality and leads the Research and Innovation them on Hazard to Decision Making.
Areas of expertise
- Atmospheric dispersion for emergency response applications
- Radiological and volcanic ash dispersion modelling
- Communication of science for decision making
Current activities
Matt provides thought leadership in the area of Atmospheric Dispersion and Air Quality and the communication of science in supporting hazard preparedness and response. In this role he provides insight and input to the direction of future science and service development at the Met Office. This includes the development and application of the Met Office's Met Office Dispersion Model (NAME) for emergency response events including industrial fires, the spread of animal diseases, nuclear accidents and volcanic eruptions, and air-quality forecasting.
Matt is also the Chair of the Natural Hazard Partnership (NHP). The NHP brings together 22 UK bodies from the science and practitioner communities across the natural hazard resilience space to improve UK readiness and response through scientific advancement and better coordination.
Career background
Matt joined the Met Office in 1999 as a member of the Dispersion team where he developed the Met Office Dispersion Model and its application for operational emergency response activities (including, radiological accidents, nuclear explosions, volcanic eruptions, and industrial accidents) and was responsible for supporting and developing the capability of the Met Office 24/7 Environmental Monitoring and Response Centre (EMARC).
In 2009 he became the manager of the Atmospheric Dispersion Research and Response Group, before becoming Head of the Atmospheric Dispersion and Air Quality Team (ADAQ) in 2013. As a team lead and head, Matt contributed to and led the science input during and subsequent analysis for a number of nationally and internationally significant events, including the Icelandic eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Grímsvötn, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident.
Matt has played a leading role in a number of national and international working groups and task teams in understanding and developing improved capabilities to deal with risks and emergency events.
In 2023 he moved to his current role as Principal Fellow.
External recognition
- Co Chair of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Advisory Group on Volcanic Science for Aviation Applications (AG-VSA).
- Chair of the Natural Hazard Partnership (NHP).
- Member of several UK government scientific advisory groups on the application of dispersion modelling for emergency response activities.
- Chair of the UK Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling Liaison Committee (ADMLC) 2008-2019.
- Commentator on United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation due to the Fukushima nuclear accident 2011-13.
- Member of WMO task team on the assessment of the levels and effects of radiation exposure due to Fukushima nuclear accident 2011-13.
- UK member of the International Civil Aviation Organisations international volcanic ash task force 2010-2012.