Jason John Sharples

Professor Jason John Sharples is a faculty member at UNSW Canberra within the School of Science. His research focuses on extreme bushfire behavior and its interaction with climate change and urban expansion, employing sophisticated mathematical and computational models to understand dynamic fire behavior in complex landscapes.

His research interests include bushfire behaviour, fire propagation modelling, fire weather, and bushfire risk management. Professor Sharples investigates how bushfires interact with the atmosphere through fire-atmosphere coupling, which produces atypical and dangerous forms of fire propagation. His work also examines critical fire weather events such as heatwaves, mountain winds, and frontal systems, particularly their association with major fire outbreaks like the 2019-20 'Black Summer' fires. He is involved in developing education and training materials for firefighters, with research incorporated into operational protocols for fire agencies.

Professor Sharples holds prestigious fellowships and awards:

• Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
• Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales
• Fellow of the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand
• Royal Society of New South Wales Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Scholars Medal
• ARC Discovery Indigenous Award

He serves as Associate Editor for Environmental Modelling and Software, PLoS Climate, and the International Journal of Wildland Fire. His professional activities include membership in the International Association of Wildland Fire, Australian Mathematical Society, and Australia and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics Society (ANZIAM).