Climate scientist wins prestigious award  

Dr Iestyn Woolway, a NERC Independent Research Fellow based at the School of Ocean Sciences has been honoured with the 2025 Yentsch-Schindler Early Career Award by The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). 

ASLO presents the Yentsch-Schindler Early Career Award each year to an early career scientist who has made outstanding and balanced contributions to research, education, and society. 

The award is for his influential work describing the effects of climate warming on lakes worldwide, including shifts in seasonal timing, stratification, ice-cover and heatwaves, in addition to his exceptional educational and outreach contributions to society and the global scientific community, including early career researchers.  

Dr Woolway’s work bridges oceanography (the scientific study of the ocean) and limnology (the study of inland aquatic ecosystems such as rivers and lakes), using innovative approaches to examine the effects of climate change on natural waters.  

His research has been internationally recognised, with over 112 published papers and 14 cited in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.  

His groundbreaking work, particularly on lake heatwaves, deoxygenation, and climate velocity, has reshaped how scientists understand the physical and ecological consequences of climate change on freshwater systems.  

Beyond research, Dr Woolway is a dedicated mentor and leader in the aquatic sciences community. He served on the International Society of Limnology (SIL) Executive Committee, co-chaired the SIL Early Career Researchers Committee, is currently co-chair of the Education and Outreach Working Group of the Open Modeling Foundation (OMF), and has played a key role in developing open-access tools such as Lake Heat Flux Analyzer, LakeMetabolizer, and rLakeAnalyzer, which support global limnological research.  

He has also delivered plenary lectures at major international conferences, including the ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting and the Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences.  

Dr Woolway’s broad impact extends beyond academia, with his research featured in major media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, CBC, and National Geographic. He also contributes annually to the State of the Climate Report, an authoritative climate summary published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.  

ASLO President Susanne Menden-Deuer said, “ASLO is honored to recognize Dr. Woolway’s exceptional contributions to climate science, his leadership in the field of limnology, and his commitment to mentoring early career aquatic scientists. Dr. Woolway is an inspiration through his scientific contributions and dissemination in the popular press.” 

Dr Iestyn Woolway said, “I am honoured to receive this recognition from The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. It is vital to continue advancing scientific understanding of freshwater ecosystems in the face of climate change—an area of research that is becoming increasingly critical for the sustainability of our planet.” 

Professor Paul Spencer, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Bangor University added, “Many congratulations to Iestyn on receiving this recognition for his excellent work. His groundbreaking and influential research is deepening our understanding of the impact of climate change on freshwater systems. We hope his success will inspire the next generation climate scientists to embrace the possibilities open to them in this important field.”