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Meet our Experts: Tamara Janes

Tamara is a climate scientist from the UK Met Office. She is mainly involved in work package 4, where she focuses on capacity building, but her experience with the co-production of climate services makes her a bridge between WP1 and WP4.

Tell me about your role at the Met Office

I am a scientific manager within International Applied Science at the Met Office and am an experienced climate scientist researching the impact of global and regional climate dynamics on developing nations, with a focus on the effective communication of complex scientific information to specialists and non-specialists in these vulnerable communities. Much of my work aims to enable better-informed decisions when faced with climate risk on any timescale, and as such, I am a passionate advocate for the co-exploration of climate-smart decision contexts and the co-production of climate services engaging directly with those at risk.  Engaging with decision-makers across Africa (through the WISER and FCFA programmes) and Asia (through the ARRCC programme) has been, and continues to be, the highlight of my day job.

Why are you excited about the CONFER project and what do you think it could achieve?

CONFER presents a unique opportunity to both build on our previous successes engaging on seasonal timescales within East Africa, but also to expand on and embed a particular (co-developed) way of working amongst our various institutions. By having a clear focus on the translation of emerging science into actionable services, we are working together to support decision-makers in the region to become more resilient to the ever-changing climate around them.  It’s also an opportunity for us to embrace a more user-defined approach to our scientific research, ensuring that future scientific activities are informed by the needs of decision-makers.  I’m excited to embark on this journey with such a great group of researchers!

What is your specific role within CONFER?

I am predominantly working on WP4 (Training and Capacity Building), with a specific focus on building capability in foundational seasonal prediction.  However, my background in the co-production of climate services also allows me to be a bridge between WP4 and WP1.