The year 2023 was one in which the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes reached greater heights than ever before, built on the legacies of the talented people who have contributed to and come through the Centre in the last six years. The impact the Centre of Excellence, its research and its people have had on the scientific community, policymakers, industry and the broader community has shone through, as you’ll read throughout this annual report.
Over those last six years, the Centre has become a cornerstone of Australia’s climate research efforts — and it’s no surprise given the level of talent and innovation present at our participating universities and partners. The ARC’s investment in the Centre enables the university sector to work on longterm, foundational science projects that require critical mass, and which can only be achieved by collaboration across institutions and disciplines.
The Centre’s Graduate Program has fostered the current generation of climate science leaders, and is seen in the reach of Centre researchers now working across government, industry and academia all over Australia and the world. The students currently doing research within the Centre of Excellence have bright futures, with many of them producing groundbreaking and innovative research at impressively early stages in their careers.
Our researchers have also stepped up their engagement with policymakers and the community by presenting their research on television, radio, print and digital media, and by engaging directly in the policy process. An impressive number of the Centre’s early career researchers (ECRs) have contributed to reports, inquiries and submissions to federal and state governments, giving a strong scientific backing to smart policy decisions for the future.
In 2024, we will see a new generation of scientific discovery and leadership with the establishment of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the 21st Century Weather. In 2023, we farewelled our Chief Operations Officer, Stephen Gray, as he and Professor Christian Jakob began to establish the new Centre. I thank them for their talent and service to the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes and I look forward to seeing what they will go on to achieve with the new Centre.
With that exciting development, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes still has much to do in 2024. Considering the talented ECRs we see in the Centre today, I am certain in a year’s time we will have many more stories just like the ones in this report to share.
Dr Tony Press AO
Chair, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes Advisory Board
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes – Annual Report 2023
From the Chair of the Advisory Board
Climate Science Leaders of the Future
Weather and Climate Interactions Research Program
Attribution and Risk Research Program
Ocean Extremes Research Program
Computational Modelling Systems
Governance, Management and our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
