Andrea K. Steiner

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andrea K. Steiner serves as Professor of Climate Analysis and Dean of the Faculty of Environmental, Regional and Educational Sciences at the University of Graz since 2023. She leads the Global Climate Analysis Research Group at the Wegener Center for Climate & Global Change and previously directed the Wegener Center (2019-2023). Her academic career spans nearly three decades at the University of Graz with significant international recognition in atmospheric physics and climate science.

Prof. Steiner earned her Ph.D. in Natural Sciences in Meteorology and Geophysics from the University of Graz (1996-1998) with honors, followed by an M.Sc. in Geophysics (1992-1995) and diplomas in Environmental Science and Meteorology. Her doctoral research focused on high-resolution sounding of climate variables using radio-occultation techniques, establishing the foundation for her expertise in atmospheric remote sensing.

Her research centers on atmospheric and climate physics, with a focus on climate analysis using atmospheric remote sensing for global and regional monitoring. She has pioneered the use of satellite-based radio occultation observations as critical datasets for climate research. Key areas include atmospheric climate change and its drivers, trend detection and attribution, analysis of atmospheric variability and dynamics, and extreme events (including blocking patterns, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires). Radio occultation data since 2001 enables detailed atmospheric study, revealing long-term trends of tropospheric warming with stratospheric cooling that influence global climate patterns.

Her publication record shows consistent focus on atmospheric temperature changes, stratospheric cooling, tropopause height variations, and climate impacts of extreme events. Recent work increasingly integrates machine learning with traditional atmospheric observations, particularly using GNSS radio occultation data for advanced climate monitoring and analysis.

Major scientific recognition includes:

• 2022: Austria22 – Austrian of the Year in Research (DiePresse)
• 2022: Research highlight in Nature Climate Change
• 2018: Frontier article in Geophysical Research Letters
• 2018: Highlight article in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
• 2008: Femtech Expert award from Austrian ministry
• 2003: Burgen Scholar award from Academia Europaea

Prof. Steiner has supervised numerous BSc, MSc, and PhD students across Physics and Environmental System Science programs. She has secured significant research funding through the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), including projects like 'Atmospheric Vertical Structure and Trends in Climate Data' (2015-2019) and participation in the 'Climate Change Uncertainties, Thresholds and Coping Strategies' project (2014-2023). Her leadership extends to coordinating international research networks and serving on scientific advisory panels for major climate initiatives.

She leads the Global Climate Analysis Research Group at the Wegener Center and plays key roles in international climate research networks including the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), where she serves on the Scientific Steering Group of the Explaining and Predicting Earth System Change Lighthouse Activity. She also serves on the Steering Committee of the Radio Occultation Meteorology Satellite Application Facility (ROM SAF) under EUMETSAT and as WCRP Regional Focal Point for Europe and Western Asia.