Our people

Benjamin is an honours student at the CCRC. He is working on using Anderson Acceleration to efficiently model oxygen levels in the warm ocean of the Middle Miocene. He is being supervised by Katrin Meissner and David Hutchinson. When not in the CCRC office Ben is probably rock-climbing somewhere in the Blue Mountains.

David is a Masters student at CCRC Studying super-CC scaling of short duration extreme rainfall in NSW using radar working with Dr. Tim Raupach, Prof. Jason Evans and Prof. Fiona Johnson, when not studying you can usually find David playing football, reading and falling down Wikipedia rabbit holes.

Jamie is an MPhil student at CCRC studying paleo-ocean biogeochemistry with Prof. Meissner and Dr. Hutchinson. He is simulating biogeochemical tracers like oxygen and neodymium to understand ocean life and dynamics in past warm climates. Originally from NYC, Jamie studied at Northwestern University and enjoys weightlifting, thru-hiking and reading.

Boris is a French PhD student at CCRC, studying interannual variability in severe convective storms in Australia, under the supervision of Tim Raupach, Shirley Qin, and Lisa V. Alexander. His project collaborates with reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter. Outside of research, Boris enjoys competing in triathlons, loving running, cycling, and swimming.

Sibyl is a PhD student at CCRC studying the variabilities and drivers of oceanic precipitation under the supervision Lisa Alexander and Steven Sherwood. When Sibyl is not studying you can usually find Sibyl swimming, hiking, and reading. 

Anand Singh Dinesh is a PhD. student at CCRC Studying “Potential relationship between oceanic precipitation and marine heatwaves in the global ocean” working with Lisa Alexander and Alex Sen Gupta when not studying you can usually find Anand hiking scenic trails, exploring new cafes, unwinding with some good music, or relaxing on the beach.

Michael Eabry is a PhD student at CCRC Studying Antarctic Sea Ice Variability working with Alex Sen Gupta and Andréa Taschetto.

Ressy is a PhD student at CCRC studying urban climate in Indonesia’s new capital city working with Andy Pitman and Jason Evans when Ressy is not studying you can usually find Ressy exploring parks with beautiful sky views or playing games.

Mahmood, a PhD student at CCRC, researches seasonal forecasting of compound events in Australia under Dr. Anna Ukkola, Professor Andy Pittman, and Dr. Doug Richardson. His work builds on his background in hydrology, remote sensing, and extreme events. Outside of research, he enjoys swimming, soccer, chess, and camping.

Matt Grant is a PhD student at CCRC Studying Australian droughts and their imapcts working with Anna Ukkola, Elisabeth Vogel (UniMelb), and Andy Pitman when not studying you can usually find Matt running, hiking, camping, or some combination of the above.

Nicholas is a PhD student at CCRC Studying mid-latitude cyclones and rainfall in Southern Australia, working with A. Prof. Andréa Taschetto. When not studying you can usually find Nicholas running, and wishing he was a fast bowler in the ‘90’s.

Ying Lung Liu is a PhD student at CCRC studying the impacts of ENSO and IOD on Australian climate variability working with Lisa Alexander and Jason Evans. When not studying, you can usually find Ying Lung exploring the countryside or playing video games.

Xiancheng Lu is a PhD student at CCRC studying drought using land surface models working with Drs. Anna Ukkola, Christoph Rüdiger and Professor Andy Pitman. When not studying you can usually find Xiancheng still studying.

Sebastian graduated with a Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) in 2019 from UNSW, majoring in Climate Systems Science. His honours project focused on Indo-Pacific Climate variability and CMIP5 model biases. After graduating, he worked in Weatherzone's forecast systems team and has now returned to UNSW for a PhD.

Ebony McNamara is an honours student at the CCRC studying the impact of urban areas on hailstorms, working with Tim Raupach and Negin Nazarian. When Ebony is not studying, she can often be found strength training or tending to her indoor plants.

Camille earned her BSc in Communications and Arts from the University of Queensland in 2015, with exchanges to UC Santa Barbara and UW-Madison. After working in digital project management and sustainability, she pursued a Master’s in Sustainability at the University of Sydney. She started her PhD at CCRC in 2023.

I completed my Master’s degree in 2020 in China, and started my PhD at CCRC in 2024. My research during master was about moisture sources and precipitation change in Tibet Plateau. My research interest now is to better understand the moisture transport in atmosphere, and its influence on precipitation, especially on extreme precipitation.

Valentina is a PhD student at CCRC Studying wave dynamics and wave-mean flow interactions in the atmosphere working with Martin Jucker and Steve Sherwood when not studying you can most definitely find her running.

Neelesh is a PhD student at CCRC, and his research focuses on developing generative AI algorithms to emulate regional climate models working with Steven Sherwood and Gab Abramowitz, when Neelesh is not studying you can usually find Neelesh playing Golf.

Elona is from the South Coast of Sydney. Who is a PhD candidate with the CCRC currently working on a project that involves forecasting air pollution in Australia under various climate change scenarios with Donna Green.

Sam comes from an analytical chemistry and data science background. They are interested in the impacts of more frequent extreme fire events as a result of climate change, and the mechanisms of bush fire smoke emissions in the atmosphere.

Tanya is a PhD student at CCRC studying Convection zones in Australia under climate change working with Tim Raupach, Steven Sherwood and Robert Warren, when Tanya is not studying you can usually find Tanya sleeping and doing yoga.

Cheng Qi has been a PhD student at CCRC since 2025. Her research focuses on how changes in the AMOC affect the ocean carbon cycle and atmospheric CO₂ levels. Qi is working with Professor Laurie Menviel and Katrin Meissner. When not studying, you can usually find Qi watching movies or playing board games with friends.

Sima Rahmani is a masters student at CCRC Studying “Topographic drivers of lightning ignition” working with Professor Jason Evans and Professor Jason Sharples when not studying you can usually find Sima, exploring nature.

I’m an Honours student in 2025, supervised by Associate Professor Alex Sen Gupta and Professor Matthew England. I recently completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney, majoring in Physics and Geology/Geophysics. I'm excited to shift my focus from rocks to the ocean, applying my physics skills in new ways.

I am an Honours student for the 2025 calendar year supervised by Associate Professor Alex Sen Gupta and Professor Matthew England. I recently completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney where I majored in ‘Physics’ and ‘Geology and Geophysics’.

Christina is physical oceanographer and who completed their Masters at GEOMAR in Kiel, Germany. Christina is currently completing their PhD with Prof Matt England using ocean models to analyse Antarctic Bottom Water formation and dynamics in a changing climate.

Shankar Sharma is a PhD student at the Climate Change Research Centre, studying Sydney’s urbanization impact on rainfall and extreme weather patterns over the last 30 years. Supervised by Jason Evans and Andy Pitman, his research explores urban development's influence on regional climate. Outside of studies, Shankar enjoys hiking and nature walks.

Tanya is a PhD student at CCRC studying how environmental and socioeconomic factors affect adverse birth outcomes, working with Katrin Meissner and Donna Green. When not studying, you can find Tanya doing fun things with her daughter.

Greeshma completed her Master's in Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Hyderabad (2021) and a Bachelor's in Physics from Calicut University (2019). She joined CCRC UNSW in 2022 as a Ph.D. student, studying extreme wind gusts and their risks in NSW, under the supervision of Prof. Steven Sherwood and Prof. Jason Evans.

Lingfei graduated with her master’s degree in China in 2021 and started her phd at CCRC in 2022. Her master’ thesis mainly focused on the simulation of shrub encroachment in arid and semi-arid grassland.  Now she is doing research about the development and application of soil carbon model, and the effect of climate changes on soil carbon dynamics.

Xueying Wang (Sylvia) is a masters student at CCRC studying compound extremes working with Anna Ukkola, Andy Pitman and Tim Raupach. When not studying you can usually find Sylvia bushwalking and enjoying new adventures with her young baby.

Patrick Wilcox is a Masters student at CCRC studying compound extreme events in southeast Australia with Andy Pitman. When not studying, you can usually find Patrick packrafting and poring over topographic maps.

Skye is a PhD student at CCRC studying the application of machine learning and Bayesian interpolation methods to precipitation data, working with Dr Lisa Alexander, Dr Steefan Contractor, and Dr Sahani Pathiraja. When not studying, you can usually find Skye hiking or learning another language.

Chang Xu is a PhD student at CCRC studying the role of moisture fluxes in simulating the convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEWs) in high-resolution models working with Steven Sherwood, Martin Jucker, and Clemente Lopez Bravo. When not studying, you can usually find Chang Xu in the gym or art galleries.

Xinyue Zhang is a PhD student at CCRC Studying dryland degradation detection at scales for land management and future projections, working with Jason Evans. When not studying, you can usually find Xinyue running in Centennial Park, swimming at the UNSW swimming pool, or enjoying music anywhere!