Sarah Kirkpatrick

Sarah Kirkpatrick is a Professor at the Australian National University (ANU) in the Fenner School of Environment and Society. She is Deputy Director of Communications and Outreach for the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, and Vice President of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.

Education:

• BSc (Macquarie University)
• PhD (UNSW Sydney, 2010)

Research Interests:

• Climate extremes, particularly heatwaves
• Extreme event attribution (natural vs anthropogenic drivers)
• Climate modeling and CMIP simulations
• Urban environment impacts on heatwaves
• Marine heatwaves and oceanic climate change

Research Trends: Recent publications focus on heatwave mortality attribution (2009 Victorian heatwave), humid heat survivability thresholds, net-zero climate impacts, and interdisciplinary work with health experts. Her work integrates climate modeling with physiological vulnerability assessments to analyze age-group specific risks.

Scientific Awards:

• 2021-2023: Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher
• 2021: Australian Academy of Science Dorothy Hill Medal
• 2016: Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Early Career Researcher Award

Grants & Leadership:

• Current ANU Futures Scheme 2.0 project (2024-2028)
• Previously held ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2014-2017) and Future Fellowship (2017-2023)
• Scientific partner at the Monash Climate Change Communications Research Hub

Outreach & Collaboration: A prominent science communicator in media, she collaborates with health experts, leads climate communication projects, and works with international research teams across 7+ institutions.