Climate Scientist

Typical Salary

£27,000 To £55,000

Typical Hours

37 to 42 a week

between 8am and 6pm

How To Become a Climate Scientist

You can get into this job through:

a university course

College / University

You can do a degree or postgraduate qualification in:

environmental science
geography
physics
maths and statistics
oceanography
meteorology and climate science
computer science

2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths and a science for a degree

a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship are not listed for this job.

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

maths knowledge
knowledge of geography
knowledge of physics
excellent verbal communication skills
science skills
knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
the ability to work well with others
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

gathering and analysing data from the atmosphere, oceans and land
creating computer models to simulate the effects of changes to climate
designing and building scientific instruments and sensors
studying past climates to understand what might happen in the future
monitoring ice packs, sea levels and temperatures
looking at how global climate affects regional weather patterns
attending conferences and publishing research findings
investigating ways to tackle climate change
advising policy makers
teaching

Working Environment

You could work in a laboratory or at a university.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.

Career Path & Progression

You could specialise in an area of climate science, for example polar research, rainfall patterns or ocean changes. You might do this through research and teaching at a university, or by working for a government department.

You could also work as a palaeoclimatologist, studying previous variations in climate and how the Earth adapted to these.

Other career options include working as a consultant for science publishers or broadcasters.

You may be able to apply for chartered environmentalist status. You can find out more about being a chartered environmentalist from the Society for the Environment.

Volunteering Opportunities

You could get work experience through an internship or work placement. This would give you an insight into the different types of work you can do as a climate scientist.

Tips & Information

Career tips

You can get information about global climate conditions through NASA and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Further information

You can discover more about working in climate science from the Royal Meteorological Society and the Natural Environment Research Council.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.