Professor emeritus Hilding Sundqvist. Photo: MISU's photo archives

Hilding began his studies in mathematics, theoretical physics and meteorology at Stockholm University at the end of the 1950s. He came from Dala-Järna and was very proud of his origin in Dalecarlia (Dalarna). During the 1960s, he worked as a research assistant with the development of a numerical model for tropical cyclones. He was one of the first researchers in the world to get such a model to work and defended his dissertation on this work in 1970. He became a docent after receiving his degree and worked as an associate professor at MISU from 1971 to 1985. He was responsible for the dynamic meteorology group at MISU during this time period and advised a great number of PhD students. He was the advisor to Harald Lejenäs, Ulla Hammarstrand and Erland Källén, among others, all who later became associate professors or full professors at MISU. Hilding’s own research interest was to incorporate explicit cloud descriptions in numerical forecast models and to understand the interplay between large-scale dynamic processes, cloud formation and precipitation. He had a large international network and invited many renowned researchers as IMI guests for both long and short periods. The PhD students at MISU benefitted greatly from these guest researcher visits.

In 1985, Hilding received a professorship at Bergen University where he worked until 1989. He gathered PhD students around him also in Bergen, who later have built on his ideas about modeling of clouds for weather forecast and climate models. Hilding returned to MISU as full professor of meteorology in 1989 where he succeeded Bert Bolin. At MISU, he further developed cloud modeling with the help of PhD students and postdocs. He was one of the first researchers in Sweden to receive an EU grant for his research and he worked on several international and national research committees and research projects.

Hilding was a very sociable and helpful person with a great portion of humor. He was appreciated as chair of the department at MISU, both during the latter half of the 1970s and large parts of the 1990s. He was a generous researcher who willingly supported others and never wanted to appear remarkable. He encouraged his PhD students to be independent and never insisted on being co-author on articles if he had not contributed substantially to the research. As a colleague, he was always approachable and he was an inspiring conversation partner. He leaves a large group of disciples and colleagues who remembers him with warmth and lament.

Text: Erland Källén, Professor Emeritus