Professor John Siddorn

Chief Executive, National Oceanography Centre

Prof. John Siddorn is the Chief Executive of the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), where he leads the organisation’s mission to gain a deeper knowledge of the ocean to address major challenges facing society and the natural world.

Under his leadership, NOC is driving innovation in digital ocean technologies, autonomous systems, and data-driven science for the benefit of society and the planet, positioning the UK at the forefront of global marine research and environmental resilience.

John is the Head of the UK Delegation to the International Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, an Honorary Fellow at the Met Office and a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute. He Chairs the interim Executive Committee of Marine Science UK, is on the UN Decade Digital Twins of the Ocean (DITTO) Advisory Board and the Ad Hoc Committee supporting the development of OceanObs ’29.

Before becoming Chief Executive, John served as NOC’s Chief Scientist, where he guided the organisation’s research. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at the Met Office, including Head of Ocean Forecasting R&D, and began his research journey at Plymouth Marine Laboratory as a biogeochemical modeller.