Timothy Cowan

Dr Timothy Cowan is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Southern Queensland's Centre for Applied Climate Sciences, embedded in the Bureau of Meteorology's Seasonal Climate Processes team. His expertise spans climate prediction, monsoon dynamics, El Niño Southern Oscillation, and sub-seasonal forecasting. He holds a BSc(Hons) from the University of Melbourne and a PhD from UNSW.

Tim's research focuses on developing climate forecast products for Northern Australia, including the Northern Rainfall Onset and multi-week rainfall burst forecasts. His current project involves creating an Australia-wide cattle heat load forecast system funded by Meat and Livestock Australia. Prior experience includes a decade at CSIRO studying Indo-Pacific climate variability and post-doctoral work at the University of Edinburgh on early 20th-century climate extremes.

Professional affiliations include membership in the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. His work addresses critical challenges in climate risk management for agriculture, particularly drought and heat stress mitigation.