Francis Patton Bretherton (July 6, 1935 – June 27, 2021) was an English-born American applied mathematician and a professor emeritus of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
From 1969–1974, he was associated with the Johns Hopkins University, first as a professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, and then as chief scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Institute.
In 1980, he decided to return to scientific research studies, remaining at NCAR as a senior scientist.
[5] Bretherton was director of the Space Science and Engineering Center at the graduate school of the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1988–1999.
During that time the center "expanded to add global change studies and management of climate data".