Experts delivering impact and value
Our researchers are exploring the frontiers of science and technology. We're tackling some of the biggest challenges of our time, and our people are our most valuable resource.
Focus areas
Our areas of focus include weather and environmental prediction, climate variability and change, Earth system modelling, water research and space weather research. We partner with relevant national and international research centres, as well as industry and private enterprise.
Expanding capabilities
We're expanding our capabilities for:
- multidisciplinary Earth sciences, social sciences, next-generation scientific and high-performance computing
- transformative approaches to data science, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
This is also fostered through partnerships with universities to support students, post-doctoral fellows and academics.
Research to operations
Our team also focuses on the transition of research into operations, accelerating the transition of experimental systems and concepts to operations and services.
To find out more about our approach, view our Research and Development Plan 2020–2030 (PDF, 16.44 MB). Need an accessible version of this document? Contact us about your needs.
Dr Rob Warren is a research scientist in our forecast innovation team. His work improves forecast guidance for thunderstorms and severe weather. This includes large hail, damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes.
Since joining the Bureau in 2020, Rob has led the development of several novel post-processing systems. These systems take data from our numerical weather prediction model (ACCESS) and convert it into guidance that is easier for our forecasters to use. Rob works closely with severe weather forecasters to make sure this new guidance meets their needs.
Rob completed his undergraduate degree and doctorate in meteorology at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. After moving to Australia in 2014, he spent several years as a postdoctoral fellow at Monash University.
His research during this time encompassed a variety of topics. These included hailstorms in the Sydney and Brisbane regions, calibration of weather radars, and large-scale ingredients for extreme rainfall in south-east Australia.
Emma Howard is a research scientist working on high-resolution climate modelling. Her work is central to how we understand and project climate hazards. It is also key to delivering fine-scale information about extreme weather events.
Emma leads development and evaluation of our regional climate modelling system (BARPA-C). This cutting-edge capability provides detailed projections of hazards such as heavy rainfall, cyclones, bushfires, and extreme winds. Emma is making sure the models capture high-intensity events most relevant to Australian communities and emergency services.
Her research career spans both Australia and the United Kingdom. Emma's doctorate is from the University of Oxford, as a General Sir John Monash Scholar. At Oxford, she developed new methods to understand climate processes behind rainfall projections in southern Africa.
Emma's work is vital to making our climate projections more reliable. These projections are used by the Australian Climate Service and other partners.
Her research advances understanding of complex climate systems. It also shapes Australia's response to climate risk.
Leaders in research and development
Meet the experts who lead our research and development team.
Chief Scientist – Robert Argent
Dr Robert Argent is our Chief Scientist and Executive of the Science and Innovation Group. This group turns our research and development into new products and services for Australia.
As Chief Scientist, Rob promotes science and innovation within our organisation and the wider community. As Group Executive, he leads a team of about 200 staff within 2 programs: Research and Research to Operations.
Rob is the Australian representative on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Panel on Polar and High-mountain Observations, Research and Services. It provides strategic, advocacy and engagement recommendations to the WMO Executive Council. He also chairs the Panel's Antarctic Advisory Group.
View Rob's ResearchGate profile and learn more about his management experience on our Executive team page.
General Manager, Research – Bertrand Timbal
Dr Bertrand Timbal is the General Manager of the Research Program within the Science and Innovation Group.
Bertrand joined the Bureau in 1996 as a research scientist specialising in climate change science. Between 2017 and 2019, he left the Bureau to lead the Climate Branch of the Centre for Climate Research in Singapore. He re-joined in 2020 as General Manager.
Bertrand leads about 140 scientists and science managers, as well as visiting scientists. He is responsible for advancing the science and development behind the Bureau's forecasts, warnings and services, focusing on research that will provide impact and value for the Australian community.
View Bertrand's ResearchGate and Google Scholar profiles.