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
Understanding the psychology of the climate crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:51
Climate grief is a real and growing psychological phenomenon. Around the world, people are grappling with the emotional weight of the climate crisis, from anxiety about the future to mourning the loss of places, species,…
Australia runs on weather [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:23
Australia’s economy, lifestyle, and ecosystems are powered by the weather, but climate change is reshaping this vital resource. In this episode, we dive into the science behind rainfall, sunshine, and wind as natural ass…
Research Special: Measuring the impacts of new fossil fuel projects [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:05
Australia’s fossil fuel industry has long argued that its projects are “too small to matter” when it comes to global climate change. But new research led by 21st Century Weather proves otherwise. Using a robust scientifi…
How will an ice-free Arctic change our planet? With Dr Zoé Koenig [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:27
In this episode, we explore what happens if (or when) the Arctic becomes ice-free during the northern summer - from global weather disruptions to sea level changes, ecosystem collapse, and the geopolitical scramble it’s…
Movie Special: The Day After Tomorrow (2004) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38:27
What happens when Hollywood takes on climate science? In this movie special of Totally Cooked, hosts Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan revisit the 2004 blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow - a film that…
Is climate change making storms & cyclones worse? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:56
Cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons - whatever the name, these major storms are being reshaped by climate change. Warmer oceans and shifting atmospheric patterns are fuelling storms that are stronger, wetter, and potentially…
What does it take to become a climate & weather scientist? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:14
In Part 2 of this special Totally Cooked episode, the next generation of climate and weather scientists share more of their stories, and spring a few surprises. We open with one of Wil’s unforgettable tales from growing…
Will hailstorms get worse with climate change? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:08
Hailstorms might be brief, but their impacts aren't. In this episode of Totally Cooked, hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a Professor of Climate Science at the Australian National University, and Iain Strachan, a former j…
How is climate change impacting Antarctica? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:57
Antarctica is one of the fastest-changing places on Earth. In this chilly episode of Totally Cooked, hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a Professor of Climate Science at the Australian National University, and Iain Stracha…
Is climate change causing more droughts and fires? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:52
In this fiery episode of Totally Cooked, hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a Professor of Climate Science at the Australian National University, and Iain Strachan, a former journalist turned science communicator, dive hea…