Neven Fučkar

Climate and Data Scientist

The climate system – and in particular, the sharp edges of climate change, i.e., human-induced changes in properties of extreme events such as heatwaves and tropical cyclones – present us with one of the most interesting and consequential complex systems to study. Climate and many other elements of the Earth system are inherently coupled with the human system, critically influencing the future development and sustainability of our modern resource-hungry civilisation. Also, the rapidly expanding data-verse of information on the Earth-human system demands a multi-disciplinary approach to the development and application of statistical and machine/deep learning methods crucial for the advancement of our understanding. The fusion of climate and data science is essential for the study of climate impacts along human dimensions, and user-oriented support of resilience strengthening, adaptation and mitigation activities as climate and society change.

I have a Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from Princeton University, USA, and my current research focuses on the nature, modelling, attribution, and socio-economic impacts of extreme events (e.g., heatwaves, droughts, floods, storms, etc.) in a changing climate. I have the good fortune to have worked at a diverse set of academic and non-academic institutions on two continents (e.g., University of Hawaii, NOAA/NESDIS, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, etc.), and presently I am a lecturer in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews and a senior researcher in the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford.