Emeritus Professor Janette Lindesay

Emeritus Professor

I obtained my Honours degree in Geography, Postgraduate Teaching Diploma and Doctorate in statistical and dynamical climatology from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and have worked in academic and research organisations in South Africa, the UK and Australia. In addition to conducting wide-ranging research on aspects of climate and its impacts, I led development and change in the environment and society undergraduate and postgraduate curricula at the ANU for more than a decade. I also convened and taught academic and professional programs and courses in climate science and climate change science and policy at the ANU, and taught by invitation at the United Nations University in Tokyo. I hold a Visiting Professorship at the University of Tokyo; am a fellow/member of a number of professional meteorological societies; and am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). I have been a member of the ANU Climate Change Institute since its inception.

Research interests

My principal research interests are in climate variability during the period of instrumental record, and climate change science in relation to vulnerability and adaptation. My current research focuses on integrating multiple influences on low-frequency fluctuations in Australian rainfall, including the potential for deterministic and dynamical seasonal forecasting; climatological aspects of bushfires and drought in Australia; temperature and rainfall trends and extremes; and climate change adaptation. I am also engaged in research into the pedagogy of climate change in academic and professional education.

  • Lindesay, J, Dunn, M & Howden, M 2015, 'Spatial and temporal scales of future climate information for climate change adaptation in viticulture: A case study of User needs in the Australian winegrape sector', Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 226-239.
  • Reardon-Smith, K, Farley, H, Cliffe, N et al 2014, 'The Development of Virtual World Tools to Enhance Learning and Real World Decision Making in the Australian Sugar Farming Industry', International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 17-23.
  • Whan, K, Timbal, B & Lindesay, J 2014, 'Linear and nonlinear statistical analysis of the impact of sub-tropical ridge intensity and position on south-east Australian rainfall', International Journal of Climatology, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 326-342.
  • Dunn, M, Howden, M & Lindesay, J 2013, 'Experiences of user engagement and perceptions of user needs: providers of future climate information on the usefulness of the information they provide users for decision-making', International Congress on Modelling and Simulation MODSIM 2013, ed. Piantadosi, J., Anderssen, R.S. and Boland J., Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc., Australia, pp. 580pp.
  • Bannister-Tyrrell M., Williams, C.R., Ritchie S.A., Lindesay J.A., Mercer, G.N. and Harley, D. 2013, 'Weather-driven variation in dengue activity in Australia examined using a process-based modeling approach', American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 65-72.
  • Folland, C, Scaife, A, Lindesay, J et al 2012, 'How potentially predictable is northern European winter climate a season ahead?', International Journal of Climatology, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 801-818.
  • Heinrich, I, Weidner, K, Helle, G et al 2009, 'Interdecadal modulation of the relationship between ENSO, IPO and precipitation: insights from tree rings in Australia', Climate Dynamics, vol. 33, pp. 63-73.
  • Brookhouse, M, Lindesay, J & Brack, C 2008, 'The Potential of Tree Rings in Eucalyptus pauciflora for Climatological and Hydrological Reconstruction', Geographical Research, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 421-434.
  • Lindesay, J 2005, 'Climate and drought in the subtropics - the Australian example.', in Linda Courtenay Botterill, Donald A Wilhite (ed.), From Disaster Response to Risk Management, Springer, The Netherlands, pp. 15-36.
  • Allan, R, Reason, C, Lindesay, J et al 2003, 'Protracted ENSO episodes and their impacts in the Indian Ocean region', Deep-Sea Research Part II: Tropical studies in oceanography, vol. 50, pp. 2331-2347.
  • Lindesay, J 2003, 'Climate and Drought in Australia', in L Botterill & M Fisher (ed.), Beyond Drought: People, Policy and Perspectives, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, pp. 21-48.
  • Lindesay, J 2003, 'Fire and climate in Australia', in Cary, G., Lindenmayer, D., and Dovers, S. (ed.), Australia burning: fire ecology, policy and management issues, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 32-40.
  • Mackey, B, Lindenmayer, D, Gill, M et al. 2002, Wildlife, fire and future climate: A Forest Ecosystem Analysis, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
  • Woodruff, R, Guest, C, Garner, M et al 2002, 'Predicting Ross River Virus Epidemics from Regional Weather Data', Epidemiology, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 384-393.