Chiara Cagnazzo

Principal Scientific Officer
Forecast, Evaluation, Thematic Applications

Summary:

Chiara is a climate scientist with over 20 years of experience in atmospheric modelling, climate variability, and climate predictability across seasonal to multi-decadal timescales. Her work focuses on bridging advanced climate science with user-oriented applications, enabling actionable insights for climate-sensitive sectors such as energy, water management, agriculture, climate-resilient finance, and health.

Since joining ECMWF in 2020, she has played a central role in the Copernicus Climate Change Service, leading the development of scientific datasets, workflows, and applications based on reanalysis, seasonal forecasts, and climate projections. Her work has helped transform complex climate data into operational products tailored to stakeholder needs.

In 2024, she joined the newly established Thematic Applications Team within the Forecasts and Services Department, where she continues to develop innovative climate applications across multiple timescales.

Current role at ECMWF

As Principal Scientific Officer, Chiara contributes to the development of scientific methodologies and climate services within C3S. Her work focuses on:

  • Designing climate applications across multiple timescales
  • Supporting sectoral decision-making through tailored climate information
  • Advancing methodologies for climate data exploitation and service delivery
  • Developing climate-policy-relevant interfaces that translate scientific outputs into tools and information supporting policy design, implementation, and evaluation

She has led the development of sectoral information systems and continues to coordinate interdisciplinary teams and projects.

Research Interests

  • Climate variability and predictability across timescales
  • Climate dynamics and stratosphere–troposphere interactions
  • Climate model evaluation and development
  • Seasonal-to-decadal prediction systems
  • Climate services and user-oriented applications

Leadership and scientific contributions

Chiara has led and contributed to numerous European and international projects focused on:

  • Developing seamless climate prediction systems that integrate information across seasonal-to-decadal timescales to support climate adaptation
  • Assessing and assuring the quality of climate datasets, including Essential Climate Variables and climate data products for operational services
  • Investigating stratosphere–troposphere processes and their role in climate variability and predictability
  • Advancing Earth system modelling

She has managed substantial research funding and coordinated multidisciplinary teams across institutions.

Her career combines scientific research, operational service development, and project leadership at European and international levels.

Since joining ECMWF, she has managed a team of six staff members, providing scientific and technical leadership across related activities.

International Engagement

She contributes to major international initiatives, including:

  • Expert member of the World Meteorological Organization Study Group on Integrated Energy Services
  • Previous Member of the Global Climate Observing System Atmospheric Observation Panel for Climate (GCOS-AOPC)

Education

  • PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences, École Polytechnique
  • MSc and BSc in Physics, Sapienza University of Rome

Teaching and Supervision

Chiara has extensive teaching experience at undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, particularly at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

She has supervised numerous PhD and MSc students in topics including:

  • Climate variability and predictability
  • Stratospheric dynamics
  • Climate modelling and geoengineering

Visiting scientist positions

  • National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado (multiple visits)
  • École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
  • Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hambourg, Germany

Professional Service

  • Member of academic and PhD committees
  • External examiner for international doctoral theses
  • Contributor to teaching and curriculum development in climate science

 

 

Career background:

Prior to joining ECMWF, Chiara was a Senior Scientist at the Italian National Research Council, where her research focused on climate variability, predictability, and the evaluation of Essential Climate Variables. Earlier in her career, she held research positions at the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

Professional experience

  • 2024–present – Principal Scientific Officer, ECMWF
  • 2020–2024 – Sectoral Information System Manager, C3S, ECMWF
  • 2011–2020 – Senior Scientist, CNR, Italy
  • 2007–2011 – Scientist, CMCC, Italy
  • 2005–2007 – Postdoctoral Researcher, INGV, Italy