Liz Bentley
{{Short description|British meteorologist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Liz Bentley
| birth_name = Elizabeth Jane Walker
| birth_place = Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England
| birth_date = {{birth month and age|1968|03}}
| workplaces = {{Plainlist|
| fields = Meteorology
| alma_mater = Newcastle University (BSc)
University of Manchester (PhD)
| thesis_title = Diffraction by cracks in anisotropic solids
| thesis_url = https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/1r887gn/alma992983071988101631
| thesis_year = 1994
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
Liz Bentley (born March 1968) is a British meteorologist who is the chief executive at the Royal Meteorological Society and a Professor of Meteorology at the University of Reading.{{twitter}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57988023|title=UK already undergoing disruptive climate change|first=Roger|last= Harrabin|year=2021|publisher=BBC|website=bbc.co.uk}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59223819|title=Climate change: Size of Wales may change due to coastal erosion|first=Sabrina|last= Lee|year=2021|publisher=BBC|website=bbc.co.uk}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/may/15/another-view-how-i-ended-this-summer|website=The Guardian|title=Another view on How I Ended This Summer|first=Laura |last=Barnett|year=2011}}
Early life and education
Bentley was born in Huddersfield{{Cite web|author=Anon|year=2021|title=Prof Liz Bentley, Chief Executive at the Royal Meteorological Society|url=https://www.rmets.org/metmatters/prof-liz-bentley-chief-executive-royal-meteorological-society|access-date=2021-11-12|website=rmets.org|language=en|publisher=Royal Meteorological Society}} and grew up in Yorkshire, which is where she first became interested in weather.{{Cite web|date=2020|website=metlink.org|title=Dr Liz Bentley|url=https://www.metlink.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bentley.pdf|author=Anon}} She was particularly interested in the weather changes over the Pennines.{{Cite web|year=2018|title=Beast from the East: How we became a nation obsessed by the weather|first=Sarah |last=Freeman|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/beast-east-how-we-became-nation-obsessed-weather-340612|access-date=2021-11-12|website=yorkshirepost.co.uk|publisher=Yorkshire Post|language=en}} She studied mathematics at Newcastle University graduating in 1990 before moving to the University of Manchester for graduate studies, where she researched applied mathematics for her PhD.{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|first=Elizabeth Jane|last=Walker|year=1994|oclc=643688131|id={{ProQuest|1993099397}}|title=Diffraction by cracks in anisotropic solids|publisher=University of Manchester|url=https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/1r887gn/alma992983071988101631|website=manchester.ac.uk}}{{Cite web|title=Society staff|publisher=Royal Meteorological Society|url=https://www.rmets.org/society-staff|access-date=2021-11-12|website=rmets.org|language=en}}
Research and career
Bentley moved to Bracknell, where she joined the Met Office. She started training to become a meteorologist at the Met Office college. Her early work investigated weather forecasting for RAF Brize Norton, where she managed an outstation. She worked on both weather forecasting and prediction of noise. She was eventually{{when|date=November 2021}} appointed chief instructor at the Met Office college.
Bentley continued to work at the Met Office until 2002, when she moved to London as chief of the BBC Weather centre. She led the facility until 2006, when she joined the Ministry of Defence (MoD) where she oversaw environmental research. She imaged complex systems, including the ocean floor and outer space.
In 2008, Bentley moved to the Royal Meteorological Society. She established a public group known as The Weather Club, which looked to enhance public appreciation of weather-related phenomena. She created a regular magazine called The Weather to promote appreciation and understanding of the weather to people from all walks of life.
Bentley was appointed chief executive at the Royal Meteorological Society in 2013.{{Cite web|title=BBC Radio Berkshire - Andrew Peach, Guest Editor: Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Exec of the Royal Meteorological Society (12/03/2018)|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05z9v7k|access-date=2021-11-12|website=bbc.co.uk|language=en-GB}} She was appointed a visiting professor at the University of Reading in 2014.{{Cite web|title=Liz Bentley: Visiting Professor|url=https://research.reading.ac.uk/meteorology/people/liz-bentley/|access-date=2021-11-12|website=reading.ac.uk|publisher=University of Reading|language=en-GB}}
References
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Category:British meteorologists
Category:Academics of the University of Reading