27 August 2026 — Fathom’s Chairman and co-founder Professor Paul Bates CBE FRS has been awarded the Royal Society Environment Medal and Lecture. He becomes only the second recipient of the newly established award.
Launched by the UK’s national academy of sciences to recognise outstanding and sustained work in the environmental sector, the Royal Society recognised Paul “for developing improved flood modelling approaches, including advances in shallow water equations and remote sensing, that are widely used in flood-risk management internationally.”
A Professor of Hydrology at the University of Bristol and International Member of the US National Academy of Engineering, Paul was appointed a CBE in 2019 for services to flood risk management.
“Receiving this recognition from the Royal Society is a huge honour, but it really belongs to the brilliant students, postdocs and colleagues I’ve worked with throughout my career,” said Bates. “Our goal has always been practical application, and seeing our research delivered through Fathom to help governments, organizations and communities tackle flood risk is extraordinarily rewarding.”
Founded out of the University of Bristol in 2013, Fathom is a Swiss Re company, providing flood risk intelligence to organizations, governments and communities worldwide.
