Our Visitor Programme aims to enhance the research capabilities of the Department of Meteorology by supporting visits that:

• Strengthen existing, or develop new, collaborative links at the national and international level
• Broaden the research interests of the Department through the provision of high-quality visiting research lecturers

We welcome visitors from all over the world at a variety of levels including, but not limited to:

• Postgraduate students
• Postdoctoral researchers
• Academic visitors
• Distinguished researchers
• Visitors on sabbatical

Details on how to apply are given below. For staff, a ‘How to …’ guide for visitors is included on the School intranet pages (staff and student use only).

Visiting the Department of Meteorology

How to apply:

• Find a host – you need to identify a potential host from our staff list. Please consult with the potential host via email (copy to the Coordinator) about your visit dates and proposed activities.
• Complete the Visitor Application Form. Once our staff member agrees to host you, please fill in the Application Form.
  • If you are an academic visitor (non-student) please download the Academic Visitor Form (Non-Student)  or Academic Visitor Form for Virtual Visits (Non-Student) and email it to the coordinator and Nicki Robinson.
  • If you are a student visitor please download the Student Visitor Application Form and email it to the coordinator and
  •  Nicki Robinson.
• Note that the Visitor Programme may not be able to provide all of the requested resources and support. Visitors may be eligible to claim their UK expenses, including travel, accommodation and meals from the Department’s visitor fund. In order to qualify for this, an advertised seminar is required and has to be given by the visitor during their stay.
• We strongly recommend that visitors have their own funding to support their visit. In case additional funding is needed, your host (our staff member) is encouraged to investigate other potential sources of funding before approaching the Coordinator with a specific request. This applies particularly to the Distinguished and Sabbatical Visitors. Useful sources include:
  • The Royal Society
  • The Leverhulme Trust
  • The British Council
  • The EU also offers funds for exchange programmes.

Presenting a Seminar:

For information about presenting a seminar during your visit, please be aware of the University of Reading External Speaker Policy including a code of conduct. There is also some information for speakers relating to our main Departmental Seminar programme which may be useful.

How to claim expenses:

Please contact your host for a copy of the expense claim form. Once completed, please return it to  Nicki Robinson for student and academic visitors. Check-list before turning in your form:

• Include the reason for the visit
• Include all receipts
• Provide a brief description for each item claimed
• For items that need to be converted to Sterling from non-UK receipts, use the conversion rate on the day that the expense was incurred
• Include the account number, name and address of the bank
• Europeans: include IBAN numbers and a SWIFT (or BIC) code
• Non-Europeans: SWIFT code and the routing number (if possible)
• Include the name of the host in the additional information section at the end of the claim

To expedite the process, please check with your host to ensure that the form is filled in correctly and all required receipts are in place.

If you have any questions, Nicki Robinson, or the Visitor Programme Coordinator, Dr. Miguel Teixeira. The Coordinator, who oversees the Visitor Programme, is responsible for funds allocation to support visits at the discretion of the Research Committee.

Updated Oct 2022