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.
Principal Research Scientist Dr Pandora Hope is one of the world's leading experts on the science of extreme event attribution. Pandora's research over the past 2 decades has advanced the science of climate variability and climate change in Australia and the southern hemisphere.
She is leading a national research project developing a world-leading capability to explain the reasons for extreme events as they happen. The tools have been applied to recent events to help inform the Bureau's Community Services Group.
Pandora has held key roles in regional climate research initiatives to understand weather systems and rainfall in a changing climate. These have had significant impacts in Australian society. For example, her work with the Western Australian Government provided evidence for their investment in expanding Perth’s water supply.
Her role as a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and election as a Fellow of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS) in 2023 is a recognition of her major contributions to climate science.
Dr Joshua Soderholm is a thunderstorm scientist with the Bureau of Meteorology's Radar Science Team. He works on developing new guidance and tools to improve thunderstorm warning services. This includes a new suite of radar-based tools that estimate hail size and track its path.
Joshua's research also includes innovative methods for observing hail, such as using drones, analysing hailstones through cutting cross-sections and 3D scanning, and improving public access to weather radar data. He is also working on a new generation of machine-learning tools for thunderstorm prediction to enhance forecasting accuracy.
He's contributed to field campaigns and institutions in Australia and internationally and completed a Humboldt Fellowship in Germany. He was also a finalist for the 2021 Harry Otten Prize for innovation in meteorology.
Joshua's PhD research focused on the interactions between sea breezes and warm-season thunderstorms in South East Queensland, Australia. View Joshua's research on the The University of Queensland’s research page.
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.