Paul Bates is a world leading authority on flood risk, a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the American Geophysical Union. His research career has focused on the development and application of computational flood models, the importance of which led to the award of the prestigious Lloyds Science of Risk Prize in 2012.
To date he has over 270 journal publications and has been awarded more than £43 million in national and international research grants. He holds a Chair in Hydrology at the University of Bristol, was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to flood risk management in 2019.
In 2024, the European Geosciences Union awarded him the John Dalton Medal for outstanding contributions to the modelling of flood hydrology. He was the recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2025 Ven Te Chow award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in the field of hydrologic engineering.
Having co-founded Fathom in 2013, Paul chairs the company’s main board and is deeply involved in Fathom’s day-to-day research activities, from publishing papers to developing new scientific ideas, as well as mentoring and encouraging junior staff.
Outside work he enjoys running, windsurfing, skiing and playing bass guitar with his band, the Grateful Dad.
