Francesca Di Giuseppe

Team Leader Thematic Applications
Forecast, Evaluation, Evaluation Applications

Summary:

Transitioning from a background in operational meteorology and weather forecasting, Francesca has steered her focus toward meteorological applications, particularly related to drought, fire, and health. With a dedicated commitment to utilizing meteorological applications for global safety and environmental protection, she actively endeavours to convert extensive and intricate 'Big-Data' assets into valuable information across all time scales, encompassing reanalysis, medium, and long-range weather forecasts. Francesca spearheaded the development of models, datasets, and innovative products, utilizing both physical modelling and AI, crucial for empowering early warning systems, decision support tools, and adaptation/mitigation strategies. Recognized with multiple service contracts and research grants, she has garnered international acclaim for scientific expertise, delivering invited talks, keynote lectures, and general public interest outreach programs. She has organized and conducted courses, serving as a mentor for PhD students and advising World Meteorological Organization (WMO) panels. Her vast experience includes reviewing numerous scientific papers and proposals, with authorship and contribution to approximately 100 publications, focusing on meteorological applications, numerical weather prediction, and weather forecasts.

Professional interests:
  • Fire forecast modelling
  • Drought modelling
  • Early warning systems development
  • Forecasting of natural hazards driven by Numerical Weather Prediction models
  • Uncertainty/Sensitivity analysis and cascading of uncertainty/sensitivity 
  • Statistical post- and pre-processing of hydro-meteorological variables 
Career background:
  • 2024-present: Thematic Application Team Leader 
  • 2011–present: Fire Forecast project coordinator, Principal Scientist, ECMWF, UK
  • 2003–2010: Team leader at the Regional  Idro-Meteo- Clima service in Bologna (ARPAE-SIMC), IT
  • 2000–2003: PhD Meteorology  Department University of Reading, UK
  • 1998–2002: Postdoctoral research scientist, Physics Department University of Bologna, IT
External recognitions
  • Editor of Journal of European Meteorological Society 
  • Editor of Nature - Scientific Data 
  • Lead Author of State of Wildfires report 
  • Convener at the  EGU General Assembly
  • Reviewer for many international journals