Francis Patton Bretherton (July 6, 1935 – June 27, 2021) was an English-born American applied mathematician and a professor emeritus of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Background

After graduating from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, Bretherton worked in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge from 1962–1969, progressing from senior assistant in research, to assistant director of research, to university lecturer. In 1964, he introduced the Bretherton equation in applied mathematics. From 1969–1974, he was associated with the

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

, first as a professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, and then as chief scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Institute. Bretherton died in St. Louis, Missouri on June 27, 2021, at the age of 85.

UCAR and NCAR

From 1973 to 1980, Bretherton was president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. He was also director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research nearly concurrently, from 1974–1980. In 1980, he decided to return to scientific research studies, remaining at NCAR as a senior scientist. During that time he authored over 60 scientific papers.

SSEC and UW, Madison

Bretherton was director of the Space Science and Engineering Center at the graduate school of the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1988–1999. During that time the center "expanded to add global change studies and management of climate data".

Awards and honors

Bretherton received a number of honors and awards from institutions in both the UK and the US. In 1960 he received the Smiths Prize from the University of Cambridge; in 1960–1962, he was a Research Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in 1962, he was a Fellow at King's College in Cambridge. In 1970, he was given the Buchan Prize from the

Royal Meteorological Society The Royal Meteorological Society is an organization that promotes academic and public engagement in weather and climate science. Fellows of the Society must possess relevant qualifications, but Members can be lay enthusiasts. It publishes vari ...

, and in 1971, he received the

World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology an ...

, Research Award, Area IV. The American Meteorological Society Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award and the American Meteorological Jule G. Charney Award were given to Dr. Bretherton in 1972 and 1982, respectively.Bretherton Named UCAR President
(5 October 1973). Information Release. UCAR

References

External links

OpenSky NCAR/UCAR Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bretherton, Francis 1935 births 2021 deaths Academics of the University of Cambridge University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Johns Hopkins University faculty 20th-century British mathematicians Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge American fluid dynamicists