Totally Cooked: Episode 7 – Meet the next generation of climate scientists

Today’s climate scientists and weather researchers have grown up with the escalating climate crisis as a defining feature of their lives. Their education unfolded against culture wars about science, energy, and climate policy, with many inspired by voices like Greta Thunberg and movements such as the School Strike for Climate. This episode explores how those experiences are shaping the next generation of scientists.

Hosts Prof. Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan sit down with three emerging researchers: Bethan White, Rachael Isphording, and Wil Laura. Together they talk about the motivations that drew them into climate science, from childhood experiences of hurricanes in Alabama to growing up in Peru. They share how their backgrounds, curiosity, and resilience are helping them carve out research careers in a rapidly changing world.

The conversation dives into the challenges and joys of early research life, from pushing climate models to their limits to investigating “compound events” like heatwaves and wildfires, to benchmarking weather resources for renewable energy. Alongside science, the guests reflect on cultural influences, personal motivations, and the global networks that support their work.

Show Notes

In this episode, we look at:

• Why the newest generation of climate and weather scientists chose this career path
• How formative experiences – from hurricanes in Alabama to growing up in Peru – shaped their motivations
• The research challenges of compound events, like heatwaves, fires, and floods happening together
• How thunderstorms, deep convection, and high-resolution models influence extreme rainfall
• What ‘weather resources’ are, and why they matter for renewable energy and society
• The ups and downs of starting out in academia: from PhD decisions to the realities of research life

*A quick clarification from Rachael in post-production – Hurricane Ivan was in 2004, the year before Hurricane Katrina.*

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Timestamps

00:00 – Opening Teaser: Frog and Snake Stories
Iain promises listeners that if they stick around to the very end, they’ll hear Wil’s unforgettable childhood frog and snake stories. The hosts then set the scene: today’s generation of young climate scientists grew up during the climate crisis, listening to Greta Thunberg and witnessing the School Strikes for Climate.

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00:26 – Introducing the Hosts & Theme
Sarah and Iain introduce themselves and the show, explaining that this episode will explore what drives young researchers to study climate and weather science, and what they hope for the future.

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02:14 – Meet the Guests
Bethan White, Rachael Isphording, and Wil Laura introduce themselves and their roles in the Centre of Excellence. From high-resolution modelling to renewable energy benchmarking and compound extreme events, they represent the breadth of the next generation of weather research.

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03:06 – Wil on Compound Events
Wil explains his PhD research on compound climate extremes – where multiple hazards such as heatwaves, fires, and floods interact to create far-reaching impacts across health, energy, and agriculture. He shares how his Peruvian upbringing shaped his motivation.

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05:08 – Bethan on Thunderstorms and Models
Bethan dives into her work on deep convection and extreme rainfall. She discusses how thunderstorms influence larger-scale weather systems, the challenges of representing these processes in climate models, and why she pushes models ‘to the limit’ to expose their weaknesses.

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09:40 – Rachael on Weather Resources
Rachael introduces the concept of ‘weather resources’ – elements of our climate with direct meaning for society, from solar radiation to wind speeds. She explains her role in benchmarking models for renewable energy applications and reflects on her identity as a ‘rain scientist’.

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12:40 – Childhood Influences and Origins
The conversation shifts to formative experiences. Wil recounts growing up in Peru’s Andes–Amazon transition zone, where a deep cultural respect for nature shaped his career path. Rachael recalls witnessing Hurricanes Katrina and Ivan in Alabama, and Bethan reflects on rural English village life and the infamous 1987 UK storm.

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35:20 – Why Do a PhD?
Bethan shares how a lifelong passion for science and physics naturally led her into a PhD on storm clouds and atmospheric microphysics. She talks about the curiosity that continues to drive her research.

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38:56 – Wil’s Long Road to Australia
Wil recounts his determined journey from undergraduate studies in Peru, through the national weather service, to a master’s in the UK, and finally to Australia. He describes reaching out to senior researchers (Sarah among them) and the persistence it took to earn a PhD opportunity.

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49:04 – Mentorship, Drive, and Determination
The group reflects on the privilege and intensity of working in a research environment filled with motivated, talented young scientists. Sarah notes how humbling it is to realise the influence senior researchers can have on aspiring students.

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50:55 – Closing Thoughts
The episode wraps with a look at what the next generation brings to climate and weather science: resilience, creativity, and determination to make a difference.

Further Reading

Han, H., & Ahn, S. W. (2020). Youth mobilization to stop global climate change: Narratives and impact. Sustainability, 12(10), 4127. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104127

IPCC. (2021). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). Next Generation Earth Systems Science at the National Science Foundation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26042

Prein, A. F., et al. (2017). Challenges and advances in convection-permitting climate modeling. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 98(5), 1027–1030. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0263.1

Ridder, N. N., et al. (2020). Global hotspots for compound heat and humidity extremes. Environmental Research Letters, 15(11), 114036. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19639-3

Zscheischler, J., Westra, S., van den Hurk, B. J. J. M., Seneviratne, S. I., Ward, P. J., Pitman, A., Aghakouchak, A., et al. (2018). Future climate risk from compound events. Nature Climate Change, 8, 469–477. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-018-0156-3

Why listen to Totally Cooked?

Because it’s time to feel empowered, not overwhelmed. Totally Cooked is a science-backed, straight-talking podcast about weather, climate change, and what it all means for life on Earth – especially here in Australia.

Hosted by climate scientist Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and science communicator Iain Strachan, Totally Cooked breaks down how human activity is changing the Earth’s systems—from our skies to our seas—and what we can do about it.

From greenhouse gases to fire weather, supercomputers to Antarctic ice cores, this is climate science without the jargon, and where no subject is too complex or controversial.

Totally Cooked is for anyone who wants to understand the science of climate change—without needing a PhD. Whether you’re a high school student, policy maker, journalist, teacher, concerned citizen or just a little climate-curious, this podcast will give you the tools to think clearly and act confidently.

• Cut through the noise with clear, honest science.
• Understand the why behind climate change;
• Learn how climate change impacts real-world weather;
• Hear from the best researchers and scientists in their field and from around the world;

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