Royal Society of Tasmania Lecture by Dr Robert Johnson

Event description

Royal Society of Tasmania April Lecture: Assembling a National Forecast from an Ensemble of Global Weather Models by Dr Robert Johnson.

Can artificial intelligence outsmart Mother Nature? From supercomputers crunching vast climate data to neural networks refining forecasts in real time, AI is transforming the way we predict the weather. But how does it work, and can it really make forecasts more reliable? Join us for a fascinating dive into the future of meteorology, where machine learning meets the atmosphere to shape tomorrow’s forecasts.

Every day, weather forecasts shape our decisions - from what we wear to how we prepare for extreme weather events. But where do these forecasts come from? This talk will take you behind the scenes of modern weather prediction, showing how we combine multiple global weather models into a single, more accurate national forecast for Australia. We'll explore how AI and machine learning are quietly improving the forecasts you rely on - especially for rainfall predictions - and why uncertainty is an essential part of predicting the future.

Dr. Rob Johnson is a senior research scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology, where he leads the Forecast Improvement Research Team. His work focuses on improving weather forecast accuracy through model post-processing, nowcasting, and integrating advanced AI and machine learning techniques into operational meteorology. He recently led the implementation of Australia’s first AI-driven public weather forecasting system, replacing traditional statistical methods and enhancing the way forecasts are produced and communicated to millions of Australians.

Join us for drinks in the Foyer at 3.30pm preceding the lecture.