Jan David Zika

Jan David Zika is an Associate Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. His research focuses on the ocean's role in climate change, including mechanisms of water cycle amplification, ocean heat uptake, and climate model validation. He has led studies demonstrating that wet regions are getting wetter and dry regions drier under warming, and that atmospheric energy efficiency declines with increased moisture.

Education: PhD from CSIRO, Hobart. Career includes postdoctoral roles at Université Joseph Fourier (Grenoble), University of Southampton, and Imperial College London. Awards include the 2018 EGU Ocean Science Outstanding Early Career Award and 2020 Anton Hales Medal.

Research Interests: Climate Dynamics, Oceanography, Data Science. Uses observational data and numerical models to address climate system questions. Active in global collaborations, including the Climate Data and Dynamics Lab at UNSW.

Key Contributions: Developed novel methods for analyzing ocean salinity, water mass transformations, and climate model discrepancies. Foundational work on the link between ocean stratification and climate feedbacks.

Awards: Highlighted for advancing understanding of ocean-weather interactions and climate projections. Awards reflect recognition of both methodological innovation and impactful findings.