Andrew B. Watkins

(MENAFN- The Conversation)

• Associate Research Scientist in Climate Science, Monash University

Profile Articles Activity

Dr. Andrew Watkins' passion is matching world class science with clear communication to help people make the best decisions to reduce risk.

His PhD on sea ice and its influence on Antarctic weather and climate meant he not only visited the southern continent twice, but was introduced to the complexities of using, modifying and analysing dynamical global climate models.

His post-doc at the Co-Operative Research Centre for Southern Hemisphere Meteorology at Monash University involved researching decadal climate cycles and ways to better initialise weather forecast models. Andrew joined the Bureau of Meteorology in 1999, headed its long-range forecast team from 2012-2022, before switching his focus to climate change and its impacts, leading the delivery of the climate science component of Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment. After leaving the Australian Climate Service in 2025 he joined the Monash School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment as a Research Associate, as well as contributing to climate communication research activities with the non-profit Climate Communications Australia.

Andrew has served on several U.N World Meteorological Organization (WMO) expert teams on climate matters, was a key contributor to WMO El Nino/La Nina Statements, and has been a co-editor of the annual Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society's Status of the Climate reports. He was also editor, then editor-in-chief, of the Bulletin of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.

Since 2019, he has supervised (pro bono) honours level students in Monash University's Global Challenges program, looking at early warnings for climate risks. One of his proudest scientific achievements was building an operational user focused drought early warning system with the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service under the UN Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems program. This has and will save lives.

He strives to make a difference.

Experience

• 2025–present Associate research scientist, School of Earth Atmosphere & Environment, Monash University
• 2023–2025 Delivery Team Leader - National Climate Risk Assessment, Australian Climate Service
• 2012–2023 Head of Climate Prediction, Bureau of Meteorology
• 1999–2012 Climatologist, Senior Climatologist, Bureau of Meteorology
• 2002–2007 Editor, Editor-in-chief, Australian Meteorological & Oceanographic Society
• 1998–1999 Researcher, Co-Operative Research Centre for Southern Hemisphere Meteorology
• 1994–1994 Research assistant, Australian Antarctic Division

Education

• 1998 University of Melbourne, PhD (Climate Science)

Publications

• 2015 Seasonal Forecasting for Australia using a Dynamical Model: Improvements in Forecast Skill over the Operational Statistical Model, Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Journal
• 2010 Assessing the Climate Response to Major Surface Inundation: Lake Eyre, Australia, Environment Science and Engineering
• 2004 Ensemble prediction of blocking regime transitions, Tellus
• 2000 Current Trends in Antarctic Sea Ice: The 1990s Impact on a Short Climatology, Journal of Climate

Professional Memberships

• Member, Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society

Research Areas

• Climatology (Excl. Climate Change Processes) (040105)
• Climate Change Processes (040104)

Honours

William 'Bill' Gibbs Medal for career operational excellence, Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society

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