Dr. Michael R. Farrar is the director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). NCEP delivers national and global weather, water, climate and space weather guidance, forecasts, warnings and analyses to help save lives and protect property. As director, Farrar oversees the planning, science and technology, and operational responsibilities related to NCEP’s nine national centers, which include the National Hurricane Center, Storm Prediction Center, Weather Prediction Center, Ocean Prediction Center, Climate Prediction Center, Aviation Weather Center, Space Weather Prediction Center, Environmental Modeling Center, and NCEP Central Operations.

In his previous role, Mike served as the Chief Scientist for weather operations for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) where he was primary science advisor to the USAF Director of Weather and coordinated science and technology activities related to weather operations. In 2017–18 he was the senior vice president and chief operating officer of the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research (UCAR). Before his time with UCAR, he was the director of EMC and the director of the NWS Meteorological Development Laboratory (MDL). He also served as the acting deputy director of the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).

Prior to his work with NOAA, Mike was vice president of strategic and business development for Science and Technology Corporation (STC). He began his career as a uniformed USAF meteorologist where he served for 24 years in several leadership positions in forecast operations, scientific development, program management, training, budgeting, planning/policy, and collaboration with U.S. and international partners.

Mike holds a B.S. in physics from Purdue University, a B.S. in meteorology from The Pennsylvania State University, an M.A. in national resource strategy from the Eisenhower School of the National Defense University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in meteorology from Florida State University.

Mike is a native of Nashville, Tennessee, where his siblings still reside. He and his wife Barbara, a manager with the International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce, live in Alexandria, Virginia and together have two adult sons and two college-age daughters.

Five of NCEP’s nine centers, along with the NCEP Office of the Director, are located at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Maryland. The world-class facility is home to 825 meteorologists, scientists, data managers and other NOAA employees from NCEP, NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), and NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory. Scientists at this NOAA center collaborate closely with University of Maryland faculty and students.

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