Meet the next generation of climate scientists

Meet the next generation of climate scientists

Author: ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather August 19, 2025 Duration: 51:44

Today’s climate and weather researchers have grown up with the escalating climate crisis as a defining feature of their lives. Their education unfolded against culture wars about science, energy, and climate policy, with many inspired by voices like Greta Thunberg and movements such as the School Strike for Climate. This episode explores how those experiences are shaping the next generation of scientists.

Hosts Prof. Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan sit down with three emerging researchers: Bethan White, Rachael Isphording, and Wil Laura. Together they talk about the motivations that drew them into climate science, from childhood experiences of hurricanes in Alabama to growing up in the Peruvian Andes. They share how their backgrounds, curiosity, and resilience are helping them carve out research careers in a rapidly changing world.

The conversation dives into the challenges and joys of early research life, from pushing climate models to their limits to investigating “compound events” like heatwaves and wildfires, to benchmarking weather resources for renewable energy. Alongside science, the guests reflect on cultural influences, personal motivations, and the global networks that support their work.

To find out more, go to: https://www.21centuryweather.org.au/engage/totally-cooked-the-weather-climate-podcast/

Iain records Totally Cooked on the lands of the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation. Sarah records Totally Cooked on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and recognise their unique and continuing connection to the land, skies, waters, plants and animals.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Ever feel like the weather forecast is just the opening act for a much bigger, more urgent story? That’s the space where Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast lives. Guided by Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climate scientist who studies extreme heat, and Iain Strachan, a journalist who translates complex science, this conversation pulls apart the daily headlines and the long-term trends. They connect the dots between a specific storm, a record-breaking heatwave, and the broader shifts in our global climate system. The discussion isn’t just about melting ice caps far away; it’s about what changing weather patterns mean for health, fitness, and daily life, particularly in the Australian context where the effects are often felt first and hardest. This podcast from the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather moves beyond alarmism into grounded, evidence-based exploration. You’ll hear clear explanations of the physical mechanisms driving our weather, frank assessments of risks, and thoughtful conversations about adaptation, all delivered with a relatable dynamic and the occasional necessary dash of dark humour. It’s for anyone who wants to move past the soundbites and understand the real-world implications of a planet that’s, well, totally cooked.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 35

Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Your chance to win 21st Century Weather merchandise [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:29
Help to shape how we share our weather and climate research. At 21st Century Weather, we’re always looking for ways to make our research more accessible, relevant and engaging. We’re inviting you to take part in a short…
How Lesley Hughes and the Climate Council got one over Tony Abbott [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:20
In this Totally Cooked episode, Sarah and Iain talk with Professor Lesley Hughes, exploring the concept of biodiversity—what it means, why it matters, and how it connects all life on Earth, from genes to ecosystems. They…
Movie Special Twister (1996) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:08
In this Totally Cooked movie special, hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan are joined by returning guest Dr Tim Raupach of UNSW Sydney to revisit the 1996 tornado blockbuster. Twister features Helen Hunt dri…
Are we really on track for Net Zero? Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:44
Join hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan of the Totally Cooked team for part 2, as they explore Australia’s path to net zero emissions with Monash University expert Roger Dargaville. The discussion goes dee…
Are we really on track for Net Zero? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:20
Join hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan of the Totally Cooked team as they explore Australia’s path to net zero emissions with Monash University expert Roger Dargaville. The discussion breaks down what “ne…
Exploring the stratosphere LIVE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:31
Join hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan as the Totally Cooked team for their very first live recording, as they take you up, up, and away into the stratosphere. To explore this mysterious and wonderful pla…
Totally Cooked Season 2 Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14
Sarah and Iain are back for Totally Cooked Season 2! This season our cooked hosts will be taking you behind the scenes of forecasting deadly bushfire weather. They will be asking the big questions like how is climate cha…
Holiday Special with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:42
In this very special episode of Totally Cooked, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan sit down with one of Australia's most beloved science communicators: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. With his signature mix of curiosity,…
Can humans survive a future of extreme heat? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:57
Can the human body survive climate change? That’s the burning question in this episode of Totally Cooked. With the world already experiencing more frequent and intense heatwaves, we sit down with Professor Ollie Jay from…
Can we save the Great Barrier Reef? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:01
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most extraordinary natural wonders on Earth, a vast, living ecosystem visible from space and home to thousands of species. But it is also one of the most vulnerable. As ocean temperat…