Our Team

Kathleen Beyer is Director of the Climate Futures Research Group, and Associate Lecturer in Climate Impacts and Adaptation in the School of Geography and Spatial Sciences. She is passionate about delivering innovative, complex and integrated climate impacts and adaptation research. Kathleen’s research aims to improve our understanding of the past, present and future climate and the impacts of climate change on communities and the environment. Her broad research interests are in climate change impacts on human health, social systems, infrastructure, urban environments, energy efficiency, biosecurity, invasive species ecology, ecosystem resilience and biodiversity. Her recent work has centred around the design and development of regionally downscaled climate projections to deliver fit-for-purpose climate data, tools and products for climate-resilient planning. She led the delivered enhanced regionally downscaled climate projections (NARCliM), which are widely used by NSW government agencies and stakeholders to support climate-resilient planning and manage climate risk.

Nathan Bindoff is Professor of Physical Oceanography at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). Professor Bindoff was the coordinating lead author for the ocean chapter in the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report and Fifth Assessment reports.

Professor Bindoff and his colleagues documented some of the first evidence for changes in the Indian, North Pacific, South Pacific and Southern Oceans and the first evidence of changes in the earth’s hydrological cycle from ocean salinity.

His most recent work is on documenting the decline in oxygen content of the oceans and dynamics of the Southern Ocean.

See Prof. Bindoff’s profile and publications here.

Sarah Boulter is Associate Professor of Climate Change and the Climate Adaptation Mission lead for the National Environmental Science Program (NESP). Sarah has spent the last decade building and supporting climate adaptation research and practice in Australia.

Sarah’s research focuses on the impacts of climate change and building capacity to adapt. She has worked with the health, biodiversity, defence and infrastructure sectors to support, develop and implement climate change adaptation strategies. Sarah was also part of the team that developed CoastAdapt, Australia’s first online climate adaptation decision-support and knowledge platform to support coastal local governments.

Dr Love has a background in atmospheric physics (PhD, University of Adelaide). His research has focussed on small scale dynamic processes in the atmosphere including waves, tides and turbulence, and their relationship to large scale circulations. These studies have been conducted primarily using ground based radar remote sensing and weather balloon observations together with a range of computational modelling techniques.

Other research interests include El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation in the tropical middle atmosphere. Having joined the ACE CRC Climate Futures program in 2016, Dr Love is currently analysing the impact of climate change on weather-related fire risk factors in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

See Dr Love’s publications here.

Dr Earl has a background in applied meteorology and climatology, completing his PhD in the UK at the University of East Anglia in 2013. He then moved down under to work as a post-doc at the University of Melbourne (2013-2017) and the University of Tasmania (2018-). His research background includes observational climatological analysis of mean wind and gust speeds, providing applications for the insurance and wind energy sectors. This work involved comparing the abilities of forecast models to predict damaging winds during extra-­tropical cyclone events, while also conducting meso-scale numerical modelling of events for a better understanding of the sub­-storm scale processes involved. Nick is the unit coordinator for climate change first year unit, Introduction to the Science of Climate Change (KGA104). His research includes quantifying anthropogenic impacts on the environment through examining weekly cycles in urban meteorological and other parameters, remotely sensed fire analysis, examining trends in global and regional active fires, highlighting links with large-­scale climate drivers (e.g. ENSO and IOD). Nick is a very keen runner and can often be seen at the pointy end of road races around Tasmania, Australia and internationally.

Dr Mocatta is a science and environmental communication researcher and Senior Research Fellow in Climate Science Communication with Climate Futures. Dr Mocatta studies public understanding of climate change, energy transitions and climate and environmental policy. As a former journalist, Gabi’s research also focuses on climate and environmental journalism and the role of media in promoting – or hindering – action on climate change. She also studies the role of communication in the context of natural hazards and disasters and is a Natural Hazards Research Australia research leader. Dr Mocatta co-wrote and teaches into KGA104 Introduction to the Science of Climate Change and KGA105 Responding to Climate Change at UTAS. She has also written Climate Change Communication, a microcredential offered globally on the FutureLearn platform. Dr Mocatta is a Research Affiliate at the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a collaborator in the MeCCO (Media and Climate Change Observatory) project at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She was a 2024/25 Fulbright Fellow.

Kathryn Allen is a palaeoclimatologist and an ARC Future Fellow. Her work has involved reconstructing past climate in Australia based on tree-rings, assessing tree-ring response to climate, and the potential of tree species to new to dendrochronology for climatological work. She pioneered the development of some types wood properties chronologies and has significantly expanded the number and quality of tree-ring chronologies in Australia. Her work has included numerous international collaborations and she has worked with industry to produce hydrological reconstructions that can be incorporated into risk assessments and management planning. Dr Allen’s Future Fellowship will compile and analyse a global database of palaeoclimate proxies to assess changes in frequency, magnitude/intensity and clustering of climate extremes over time. This will not only help better contexturalise current changes in extremes in the observed record, it will also provide critical input into risk estimation for Australian infrastructure.

Anna specializes in strategic sustainable urban development and climate impact assessment and adaptation planning. She has worked on climate change education, assessment, and adaptation questions across sectors (industry, community, human health, and built environment) as both a researcher, educator, and private consultant. Appreciating the importance of quality stakeholder engagement processes, Anna also has significant experience working as a strategic planner and facilitator. Over her career, Anna has contributed to numerous policy development, planning decision-making processes, and technical working groups via high-level state ministerial appointments (NSW and Tasmania), federal, government, local government and NGO forums. Anna is currently working with the Climate Futures team on the Natural Hazard Atlas for Tasmania as strategic research coordinator and stakeholder engagement manager.

Ben Weeding is a physical scientist interested in using quantitative methods and data to understand and solve practical problems. Ben has worked in oceanography, estuary science, high school teaching, and climate science. He has experience in coordinating and performing fieldwork, operating and deploying scientific equipment, community engagement, and scientific modelling and programming. Ben is currently working on a range of projects involving the bias correction and evaluation of climate models at regional scales.

Agustina Barros is a researcher in the field of plant ecology, specializing in the impacts of human disturbance and climate change on vegetation dynamics in mountain ecosystems. She earned her PhD in 2014 from Griffith University, Australia, where she examined the impacts of grazing and tourism on alpine vegetation in the dry Andes. Agustina is affiliated with the National Research Council in Argentina (CONICET). Her research spans restoration ecology, plant functional traits, and the influence of macro- and microclimate, disturbance, grazing, and biotic processes on vegetation dynamics. She has extensive experience leading and supervising both doctoral and undergraduate research, using observational and experimental approaches. Agustina is Co-Chair of the Mountain Invasion Research Network, where she co-coordinates international efforts to understand the effects of global change on species distributions and biodiversity in mountain areas. She is also a member of the Scientific Committee of the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) and recently joined the Advisory Scientific Committee of the Australian Mountain Research Facility (AMRF). With over 45 publications in high-ranking international scientific journals and collaborations spanning multiple continents, Agustina brings to the Climate Futures team extensive expertise in quantitative statistical analysis, scientific reporting, and collaborative research on climate change and mountain ecosystems.

Annabel is an atmospheric scientist who completed her PhD at Monash University. Her research background focuses on using weather radar data to analyse the characteristics of heavy rainfall events around Australia. She also has an interest in thunderstorms, and her current research involves examining severe thunderstorms and hydrological hazards (extreme rainfall, riverine and flash flooding) in Tasmania and how they are expected to be affected by climate change.

Dr. Krishneel Sharma is a climate scientist specialising in environmental science, with expertise in tropical cyclones, theoretical and applied climatology, statistical climatology, climate variability, and climate change. His research focuses on climate adaptation, climate dynamics, and climate risk, particularly concerning extreme events and natural disasters. Krishneel completed his PhD in Earth Science at the University of Newcastle in 2021. Following that, he worked as a Research Associate in 2022 and as a postdoctoral researcher from 2023 to 2024 at Federation University. Here, he focused on natural hazards, including tropical cyclones and their associated winds and rainfall, which impact small Pacific Island nations. He also worked on forecasting future trends using various models. Krishneel’s work in tropical cyclone climatology, extreme event analysis, and disaster risk modelling is supported by his proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Krishneel’s research utilises historical data, meteorological data, ocean and climate reanalysis datasets, and he is skilled in managing large and complex datasets. His expertise also includes the study of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indo-Pacific climate variability, and the application of geographical information systems in climatology.

Dr. Sandra Koenigseder is a climate scientist specialising in high-resolution climate modelling through dynamical downscaling, with a background in geospatial information science. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Wollongong, where she performed a 179-year convection-permitting downscaling of the 20th Century Reanalysis (20CRv3) over glacierised southern Alaska using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Her research provides new insights into the historical regional climate of this glacierised region, which is critical for understanding contributions to sea-level rise. The resulting 20CRv3-WRF dataset serves as a valuable resource for climate change studies and environmental impact assessments. Sandra’s expertise lies in numerical modelling, model evaluation, and statistical analysis, supported by extensive experience in high-performance computing for detailed and computationally intensive simulations. She has presented her work at leading international and national conferences and is dedicated to advancing climate science by improving climate simulations and enhancing understanding of complex regional climate processes. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Cartography and Geomedia Technology from the Munich University of Applied Sciences and a Master’s degree in Climate and Environmental Sciences from the University of Augsburg. Before her doctoral studies, Sandra completed international research internships at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany, focusing on marine geology, and in geospatial information science at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

Nancy is a science and communications specialist with experience across environmental management, biodiversity conservation, wildlife health, field ecology, energy transition, and community engagement. She is helping Climate Futures deliver the next gen regional climate projections work for Tasmania. Prior to joining UTAS, Nancy has led major projects in government and academia, including progressing the development the Biodiversity Assessment Instrument under the Nature Repair Market at DCCEEW, and research and outreach initiatives at Monash University including their Energy Institute (MEI). During her time at the MEI, she focused on facilitating Energy Literacy through webinars and a clean energy transition through the Net Zero Initiative, the RACE for 2030 CRC, the Energy Research Institutes Council for Australia. In addition, she contributed to projects with organisations such as the UNEP/CMS, Maritime New Zealand, Birdlife Australia and CSIRO. Beyond research, Nancy is passionate about nature observation, birdwatching, invertebrates, chocolate, coffee and crafting honey, jams and wines. Nancy is a supporter of community-led restoration initiatives and citizen science. Her work reflects a deep commitment to people and biodiversity in a changing climate, fostering evidence-based decisions and public understanding of climate risks and ecological resilience.

Dr Natasha Chassagne is a writer and researcher on climate, sustainability, and wellbeing. She is currently working with the Climate Futures team as a Research Associate in climate science communication. Natasha also works with government on international climate policy. She holds a PhD from Swinburne University and a master’s degree in international relations and international law from the University of New South Wales. Natasha’s research interests include the impacts of climate on health and wellbeing, regenerative community development, and the intersections between international climate policy and local practical approaches. She has a special interest in enhancing the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature, in particular as a means of climate action. In that aim, Natasha has written for both print and online media and published her first book in 2019 based on her doctoral research.

Melissa Hart is a Professor of Climate Science at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and leads Training and Development in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21^st Century.  Her research explores the impact of cities on climate and climate on cities, and the meteorological controls on air pollution. This includes setting up weather stations in schools to measure how conditions change across a city, which is vital for urban climate research. This data is also used in classroom activities that are aligned with the curriculum, helping to enhance student interest in STEM. She is currently working with public health and Indigenous researchers to explore the heat health burden on First Nations communities in under-resourced remote Australia.

Melissa is a Lead Author on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 7th Assessment Report for the Adaptation to Human Settlements, Industry and Infrastructure chapter. 

Dr Tim Wardlaw has a doctorate in forest pathology and has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed, applied research papers in the fields of forest health and conservation management. Most of Tim’s career has been spent with Forestry Tasmania and its predecessor the Forestry Commission of Tasmania. His primary responsibility was to provide the specialist expertise that underpinned operational management of the health of Tasmania’s multiple-use public forests. In that role he was involved in the development and refinement of practices for the management of all the major pests and pathogens affecting the health of Tasmania’s forests. He has been at the forefront of forest health surveillance in Australia and established formal health surveillance of Tasmania’s public multiple-use forests in 1997. This program is one of the longest running forest health surveillance programs in the country. He has shared his expertise in forest health management through capacity-building projects in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. While managing the conservation and biology research program at the Warra Long-Term Ecological Research site, he successful applied to get Warra selected as one of 16 “Supersites” in Australia’s national facility for monitoring its terrestrial ecosystems – TERN. He has been Principal Investigator at the Warra Supersite since its inception in 2010.

Biniyam Menna is a PhD student in Environmental Studies at the University of Tasmania. His research topic is titled “Towards a Better Understanding of the Characteristics of Hydroclimate Extremes in Africa and Australia.” His PhD project primarily focuses on compound extreme events in the Nile and Murray–Darling Basins. His research background involves using ground-based observations and satellite data to analyse the characteristics of hydroclimate extremes at the basin and watershed scales.

Nabina is a PhD candidate at the School of Geography and Spatial Science, University of Tasmania. Her research focuses on climate change adaptation practices in Australia. Previously, she has worked on policy and governance research for springshed management in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, contributing to policy gap analysis and sustainable water management. She has extensive experience in community-based and stakeholder engagement research across South Asia. 

Bennie Mildren is undertaking a doctorate with Climate Futures, analysing extreme weather events and their influencing factors, with an emphasis on providing meaningful guidance for Tasmanian stakeholders. Bennie has experience in applied mathematics, statistics, and physics. Beyond science, Bennie is an active member of the Landcare community, and aims for research that can benefit land restoration in Tasmania and beyond.

Maria’s PhD project with Climate Futures works with Landcare Tasmania to explore the climate resilience of Tasmanian agricultural communities, using interdisciplinary methods that holistically examine socio-ecological systems. Her undergraduate work was in agricultural science and insect ecology, and more recently she has used qualitative methods to explore land management on NSW farms. Maria is a farmer herself, and currently helps her family operate Holdanca Farms Ltd in Nova Scotia, Canada from a (rather great) distance.