The ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes is overseen by an advisory board, which is chaired by distinguished scientific leader Dr Tony Press. The Centre advisory board provides strategic oversight and advice to the Centre of Excellence as well as monitoring the Centre’s performance against its stated Key Performance Indicators.
Dr Tony Press AO FAIIA, Adjunct Professor, UTAS, Australian Antarctic Program Partnership. (Chair)
Dr Tony Press is an Adjunct Professor at the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. He served as the chief executive officer of the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre from 2009 to 2014. Dr Press has had a long career in science, natural resource management, public administration and international policy.
Dr Press was the Director of the Australian Antarctic Division from 1998 to 2009. He chaired the Antarctic Treaty’s Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) from 2002 to 2006. He was Australia’s representative to the CEP and alternative representative to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings from 1999 to 2008. He was Australia’s Commissioner for the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources from 1998 to 2008. In 2014 he provided the Australian Government with the 20 Year Australian Antarctic Strategic Plan.
Dr Jaci Brown, Research Director for the Climate Science Centre, CSIRO
Dr Jaci Brown is currently the Interim lead of the National Environmental Science Program’s Climate System Hub. The hub provides research to advance the understanding of Australia’s climate, its extremes and associated drivers. This research will directly inform climate adaptation solutions for Australia. Jaci’s substantive role is as the Research Director for the Climate Intelligence Program in CSIRO’s Environment Research Unit.
Ian T. Dunlop, Independent Advisor & Commentator, Climate Change & Energy
Ian Dunlop is a Cambridge-educated engineer, formerly a senior executive in the international oil, gas and coal industries. He chaired the Australian Coal Association in 1987-88. From 1998 to 2000 he chaired the Australian Greenhouse Office Experts Group on Emissions Trading, which developed the first emissions trading system design for Australia. From 1997 to 2001 Ian was chief executive officer of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has a particular interest in the interaction of corporate governance, corporate responsibility and sustainability.
Ian is chair of the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, a member of The Club of Rome, a member of the Advisory Board of the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse at ANU, and chair of the Advisory Board of the Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration. He advises and writes extensively on governance, climate change, energy and sustainability.
Danielle Francis, Manager Policy and Strategy, Water Services Association of Australia
In her 20 years in the Australian water industry, Danielle has led communications, regulatory, pricing, stakeholder and strategy portfolios to help the industry deliver valued services to the community.
Today, Danielle’s focus is on shaping the policy landscape, influencing national policies and strategies for the water industry including the National Water Agreement, the ‘all options on the table’ portfolio, water for growth and placemaking, leadership on climate change adaptation and mitigation including support for renewable energy and the emerging circular economy.
Dr Greg Holland, Willis Senior Scientist Emeritus at the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes (C3WE), NCAR, Boulder, USA
Dr Greg Holland is an emeritus Willis Senior Scientist in C3WE at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). He was previously Director of NCAR’s Earth System Laboratory and Director of C3WE. His current research focuses on weather and climate extremes and their response to climate variability and change. His career in meteorology includes forecasting, teaching, research, and community service, including service on a number of committees and review boards for NOAA, the National Academies, NASA, Zurich Insurance, and chairing the Tropical Meteorological Program of WMO. Greg received his bachelors with honours in Mathematics from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and an MS and PhD in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University.
Prof Dane McCamey Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), UNSW, Sydney
Professor Dane McCamey is Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of New South Wales, Sydney (UNSW). His research interest is in condensed matter physics, in particular the role that spin (a quantum property of subatomic particles) plays in the function of optoelectronic materials and devices. His research spans from fundamental investigation of quantum properties through to applications in photovoltaics and quantum technologies. Prior to his current role Dane was Deputy Dean Research and Enterprise for UNSW Science and served as Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science.
Dr Jon Petch, Director, Climate and Global Dynamics (CGD) Lab, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, USA
Jon Petch is the director of the Climate and Global Dynamics (CGD) Lab at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in the USA. In this role, he leads a team of over 100 scientists and software engineers, overseeing diverse research in earth system science. The lab plays a crucial role in developing and supporting the Community Earth System Model (CESM), a global climate model. Jon also holds a visiting professor position at the University of Leeds, specialising in Weather and Climate Modeling, and chairs the science advisory group for the US Department of Energy’s next-generation earth system model program. He is involved in various international initiatives and advisory panels, showcasing his expertise in atmospheric model development and numerical experiments.
Matthew Riley, Director, Climate and Atmospheric Science, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Matthew Riley is Director of Climate and Atmospheric Science at the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW DCCEEW). Matthew is also the Director for the NSW and Australian Regional Climate Modelling Project (NARCliM), and leads DCCEEW’s Climate Change Adaptation, Impacts and Risk research program. He leads net zero emissions modelling for the NSW Government, delivering advice on greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and net zero policies and programs. In addition, Matthew is responsible for the operation of the NSW Air Quality Monitoring Network, NSW Air Quality Forecasting and leads the NSW Government’s air quality research program. Matthew has over two decades of experience in urban meteorology, climatology and air-quality measurement.
Ms Kathryn Smith, Assistant Secretary of the National Adaptation Policy Office
Ms Kathryn Smith is Assistant Secretary at the National Adaptation Policy Office, which is part of the Climate Change Group in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. In that role Ms Smith is responsible for Australian Government climate adaptation policy, climate services policy and climate science coordination.
Dr Bertrand Timbal, General Manager for the Research Program, Science and Innovation, Bureau of Meteorology
Bertrand re-joined the Bureau in 2020 as the General Manager for the Research Program, Science and Innovation Group (SIG), after 3 years leading the Climate Branch in the Centre Climate Research Singapore (CCRS), the research arm of the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS).Bertrand first moved to Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology in 1996, after completing his PhD at the French National Met Service (Meteo-France) in 1994.
As GM for Research, Bertrand leads a program of 130 of scientists, support scientists and science managers delivering along the four objectives of the Bureau R&D Plan. Within SIG and together with the Research to Operations (R2O) Program, the Research program progresses the science and innovation of the Bureau from original, state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed and published science, to the operationalisation of new products and services, creating impact and value for the Australian community; the engine room to deliver the Bureau Strategy.