Introduction
I am a research scientist in the Earth System Physics section of ICTP.
My research interests focus on cloud and convection dynamics and physics, and their representation in weather forecast and climate models, and how the organisation of convection in the tropics may impact climate sensitivity.
Regarding the mandate of ICTP, I am particularly concerned with how weather prediction and climate models can be better applied in developing countries. I have taught at over 35 schools, workshops and training events in Africa, Asia and C/S America in the past 13 years, being the main director/organiser of over 25 of these events in over 12 African countries. In recent years, these have also focussed on training of the use of open-access tools and datasets, particularly those available within the Copernicus climate services framework, hosted and operated by my previous employer ECMWF.
More recently, my research has branched in climate applications of particular relevance to Africa, mostly in the area of health. I am the lead developer of a open-source, regional dynamical malaria transmission model that accounts for climate and population and also a (highly efficient!) agent-based model for cyclic human mobility. If you would like to partner me with projects in this area, please get in touch.
I am a member of the technical advisory group of the malaria section of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH). I also served as a member on the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Working Group on sub-Seasonal to Interdecadal Prediction (WGSIP) from 2012 to 2019 and as member and then co-chair of the scientific advisory committee (SAC) of the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) since its inception.
orcid.org/0000-0003-0975-6691