PEOPLE

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Athira Unnikrishnan Nambeesan

RESEARCH STAFF

Research Specialist - (2020 - Present)

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Biography

Athira U. N. is a climate scientist with a decade of expertise in weather extremes, climate change, and climate dynamics. She is a research scpecialist in Climate and Livability initiative at KAUST. She holds a Ph. D and Master’s degree in Meteorology from Cochin University of Science and Technology. Her diverse research background includes studies on climate dynamics, ocean-atmosphere interactions, Monsoon, and extreme weather events. She is expert in climate and weather modelling with special emphasis on urban resilience. Her work reflects a deep commitment to advancing understanding of climate dynamics and its societal implications.

Research Interests

Athira's research focuses on extreme weather events and their impacts on future climate change scenarios. Her research utilizes various computational models to project regional climate impacts on urban environments. This work enhances understanding of urban livability and improves resilience. By analyzing different climate projections, she supports the development of strategies to mitigate extreme weather effects and advance sustainable urban planning, ultimately strengthening cities' capacity to adapt to climate challenges.

Selected Publications

  • Athira, U. N., S. Abhilash, and C. T. Sabeerali (2023). ’Paradigm shift in the onset phase of the Indian Summer Monsoon since 2000 and its potential connection to South Indian Ocean’. In: Atmospheric Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.107050.
  • Athira, U. N., and S. Abhilash (2021). ’Ocean–atmosphere coupled processes in the tropical Indian Ocean region prior to Indian summer monsoon onset over Kerala’. In: Climate Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-020-05499-6
  • Athira, U. N., S. Abhilash and R. D. Ruchith (2021). ’Role of unusual moisture transport across the duringEquatorial Indian Ocean on the extreme rainfall event during Kerala flood 2018’. In: Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dynatmoce.2021.101225.
  • Vijaykumar, P., S. Abhilash, A. V. Sreenath, U. N. Athira, K. Mohanakumar, B. E. Mapes, B. Chakrapani, A. K. Sahai, T. N. Niyas, and O. P. Sreejith (2021). ’Kerala floods in consecutive years-Its association with mesoscale cloudburst and structural changes in monsoon clouds over the west coast of India’. In: Weather and climate extremes. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2021.100339
  • Athira, U. N., S. Abhilash and V. Sathiyamoorthy (2020). ’Distinct atmosphereocean coupling processes on the onset phase of Indian summer monsoon during 2017 and 2018 as revealed through SCATSAT-1 and its comparison with CFSv2’. In: International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 41, No. 20, pp. 8014-8033. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2020.1767827.

Education

  • M. Sc. Meteorology from Cochin University of Science and Technology, India
  • B. Sc. Physics from M. G. University, Kottayam, India

Professional Profile

  • Research Fellow, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, (2017-2023)
  • Project Fellow, CSIR-Fourth Paradigm Institute, Bangalore, India (2016 Jan-2017 Feb)
  • Executive-Quality Assurance, Skymet Weather Services Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India (2014 Aug-2015 Nov)

Awards

  • Received the best paper award for oral presentation in the 30th Kerala Science Congress organized by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment.
  • Qualified for the National level test in India for Assistant professor named joint CSIR-UGC NET in December 2019. • Awarded the CSIR-Direct Senior Research Fellowship in 2021.
  • Served as the principal investigator (PI) of a project entitled “Prediction of monsoon onset over Kerala, an approach based on Ocean-Atmosphere coupled feedback” under the KSCSTE-Best Paper Award scheme.

KAUST Affiliations

• Climate and Livability Initiatives
• Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering
• Urban Lab

    Research Interests Keywords

    Weather and climate extremes Climate Change Regional Climate Modeling
    UrbanLab. Talent. Affirmations. Thought. Inspiration. Transmission. Knowledge. Meeting. Community. Future. Transition.