University of Southampton Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.
The Royal Society made the announcement today [27 May], with the formal admission ceremony due to take place on 10 July.
Established in 1660, the Fellowship of the Royal Society is one of the highest honours a scientist can achieve and is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in their field.
Notable fellows include Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner, Stephen Hawking and Tim Berners-Lee.
Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato is a physical oceanographer focused on the processes governing ocean circulation and how these influence global climate systems.
His research addresses how ocean processes operating at different sizes and timescales interact with one another - from tiny turbulent swirls a few centimetres wide to massive global currents stretching across entire ocean basins.
He has led and participated in numerous expeditions to remote regions, including Antarctica, combining advanced technologies with innovative analytical techniques.
His research has unravelled the complex, turbulent physics of the ocean's interactions with its boundaries - the atmosphere, the seafloor, and ice.
Analytical and conceptual advances made by Professor Naveira Garabato have quantified the rates and mechanisms of the ocean mixing resulting from such interactions, and unveiled mixing's global impacts on climate.
Alberto is from Galicia in Spain and was educated at the Universities of Southampton and Liverpool.
He has spent most of his career at the University of Southampton, where he now holds the Regius Chair of Ocean Sciences.
His research has attracted a range of awards, such as the Challenger Medal and the Fridtjof Nansen Medal.
Reflecting on the award, Prof Garabato said: "I am very grateful to the Royal Society for granting me this honour. Throughout my journey in oceanography, I have been immensely lucky to have had the opportunity to work with many gifted and kind collaborators of all career stages. I think of this Fellowship as a shared recognition of their talent and effort."
Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, said: "I am delighted to welcome this newest group of exceptional scientists to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.
"Our Fellowship is strengthened not only by individual distinction, but by the diversity of perspectives and experiences its members bring. This incoming cohort highlights the truly international character of contemporary science and underscores the vital role that plays in achieving breakthroughs that benefit us all."
