Dr. Friederike Otto is a distinguished atmospheric scientist renowned for pioneering the field of extreme weather event attribution. She currently serves as Professor of Climate Science at Imperial College London's Centre for Environmental Policy while maintaining her role as an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute. After earning her doctorate in philosophy of science from the Free University Berlin in 2011, she joined Oxford University where she established herself as a leading researcher on climate impacts before transitioning to Imperial College London in October 2021. Her distinctive career path bridges theoretical climate science with practical applications for vulnerable communities worldwide.
Dr. Otto's groundbreaking research has revolutionized climate science through the development of rapid attribution methodologies that quantify how climate change influences specific extreme weather events including heat waves, droughts, and storms. As co-lead of World Weather Attribution, she established an international scientific consortium that provides timely analyses connecting climate change to real-time weather disasters, transforming abstract climate concepts into evidence-based conclusions. This innovative approach has fundamentally shifted global climate discourse by enabling precise statements about individual weather events rather than general climate trends. Her rigorous scientific framework has become instrumental in climate adaptation planning and has paved the way for emerging climate litigation cases around the world.
Beyond her research contributions, Dr. Otto has significantly shaped global climate policy through her pivotal role as a core writing team member for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report Synthesis Report. Her work has been featured extensively across major international media outlets including the New York Times, Guardian, BBC, and Der Spiegel, making complex climate science accessible to policymakers and the public. Recognized as one of New Scientist's 'Ones to Watch' in 2019 and contributing to MIT Tech Review's 2020 breakthrough technology designation for climate attribution, she continues to advance research on climate impacts with particular focus on Africa and India. Dr. Otto remains dedicated to strengthening the scientific foundation for climate justice while providing actionable evidence to support adaptation strategies in the world's most vulnerable regions.
