Dr Joanne Robbins

Areas of expertise

• Risk and impact modelling and impact-based evaluation 
• Rainfall-induced landslide forecasting and warning
• Communication of probabilistic high-impact weather forecasts
• Geographic Information Systems

Current activities

Joanne works on risk and impact modelling for improved forecasting and warning of hydro-meteorological hazards. Her research focuses on developing forecast applications that support decision-making for high-impact weather events. This involves integrating hazard forecast information with vulnerability and exposure datasets and identifying novel ways to produce and evaluation hazard impact models. Her current research activities focus on 3 key themes: 

• Developing impact models for hydrometeorological hazards and advancing methods to support impact-based forecasting 
• Impact-based evaluation using novel, non-standard observations (e.g. using social sensing methods) 
• Landslide forecasting and warning 

Current projects include:

• Leading the ‘Risk-based forecasting and High-Impact weather/Seasonal events’ work package of the Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership India (WCSSP India), working with Indian and UK partners to enhance our underpinning science knowledge to improve Impact-based Forecasting.
• Research to compare approaches for impact assessment and communication across timescales as part of the Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership South Africa (WCSSP South Africa)
• Developing medium-range landslide forecasting tools using predefined weather patterns in India (LANDSLIP Project) and Brazil (CSSP Brazil)
• Developing methods and frameworks for the systematic collection of socio-economic impacts data, and evaluation of high-impact weather and impact-based forecasts as part of the Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership South East Asia (WCSSP SE Asia)
• Developing and testing Hazard Impact Models, particularly the Vehicle Overturning Model, and identifying future impact modelling applications.
• Developing and maintaining the Global Hazard Map using ensemble forecast data to predict high-impact weather, including forecasts of tropical cyclones, heavy rain and heatwaves.

Career background

Joanne joined the Met Office in November 2007 after completing an MSc in Geophysical Hazards at University College London (UCL) and a BSc in Physcial Geography from the University of Sheffield.  In 2014 Joanne completed her PhD in Geology at the University of Leicester. Her thesis is entitled 'Application of satellite and airborne technologies for the development of probabilistic rainfall thresholds and susceptibility maps for landslides in Papua New Guinea'. She became the manager of the Weather Impact Teams in August 2019.  

Professional responsibilities

• Executive committee member of LandAware - International Network on Landslide Early Warning Systems
• Steering group member of the of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)/ World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) Subseasonal to Seasonal Prediction Project. 
• Member of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) HiWeather Projects’ Impacts Vulnerability and Risk Task Team. 
• Natural Hazards Partnership. Met Office representative and work package lead on Hazard Impact Modelling for wind impacts.