Professor in Atmospheric and Climate Dynamics
Work experience
Associate Professor
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, CANADA
2021/05 - to date
Assistant Professor
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, CANADA
2017/06 - 2021/05
Research Scientist
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SWEDEN
2016/01 - 2017/09
As an independent research program, I design and implement all aspects of my own agenda. My current work seeks to understand climate dynamics changes associated to high-latitude volcanic eruptions using coupled and uncoupled climate models as well as associated to the Sahara greening between 15-5 kyr BP.
Visiting Scientist
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CANADA
2016/05 - 2016/09
Collaboration with Profs. Paul Myers and Andrew B.G. Bush.
Teaching Assistant
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SWEDEN
2015 - 2017
I co-taught a course in Earth System Modeling.
I helped developing laboratory experiments for bachelor course in Physics and an internet based course in Climate Science (undergraduate level).
Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SWEDEN
2014 - 2015
As an independent research program, I designed and implemented all aspects of my own agenda. My current work seeks to understand climate dynamics changes associated to high-latitude volcanic eruptions using coupled and uncoupled climate models.
Postdoctoral Researcher
European Commission - Joint Research Centre, ITALY
2011 - 2013
Led efforts to examine the impacts of atmospheric circulation changes onto air-quality and how changes in antropogenic aerosol emissions can impact atmospheric circulation.
Research Fellow
Geophysical Institute University of Bergen, Bergen, NORWAY
2010 (Aug - Dec)
I continued my PhD research on interpreting proxy records using climate models.
Visiting Scientist
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
2009/01 - 2009/08
As part of my PhD I spent 8 months at the Univ. of Washington working closely with Prof. David S. Battisti
Laboratory Assistant
University of Bologna, Bologna, ITALY
2004 - 2007
Laboratory assistant for two Biology courses: Laboratory of computational techniques and Laboratory of Physics. In the former, I taught how to use data analysis software for purposes linked to physics. In the latter, I helped setting up different kind of experiments.
Tutor in Atmospheric Physics
University of Bologna, Bologna, ITALY
2004 - 2006
Tutor in Atmospheric Physics: I was point of reference for bachelor students in Atmospheric Physics.
Invited Seminars/Lectures
10/2022 Invited to take part to the Workshop on Tipping Points and Understanding EO data needs for a Tipping Element Model Intercomp. Project (TipMIP), organised by the Intern. Space Science Institute,Bern, Switz.
08/2022 Invited speaker for the Bjerknes Seminar Series, Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Norway. Organizer: Prof. Stefan P. Sobolowski
05/2022 Invited speaker to the Monsoon seminar series 2022. Organizers: Prof. Peter D. Cliff & Dr. Liviu Giosan
03/2022 Invited speaker to the joint virtual discussion series of AIMES-EC WG1-WCRP (Analysis, Integration and Modeling of the Earth System and World Climate Research Program). Organizer: Dr.Caroline Zimm
03/2022 Invited speaker to the webinar series « Scrubbing the Skies: Carbon Dioxide Removal and its Role in Combating Climate Change » at Northwestern University. Organizer: Prof. Wil Burns
12/2021 Invited speaker at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2021, New Orleans, LA, USA
09/2021 Invited research stay at University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. Host scientist: Dr. Margit H. Simon
08/2021 Invited research stay at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Host scientist: Prof. Rodrigo Caballero
07/2021 Invited plenary speaker and lecturer at the virtual Princeton University Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) 2021 workshop entitled “Climate Tipping Points”.
06/2021 Invited speakerat the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) 2021 Congress
05/2020 Invited speakerat the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) 2020 Congress (Cancel due to COVID19)
10/2019 Distinguished visiting Speakers Series of the Centre for Global Change Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Organizer: Prof. W.R. Peltier.
09/2019 Plenary talk at 13th International Conference of Paleoceanography, Sidney, Australia. ICP Organizing Committee.
08/2019 at PaleoENSO Workshop, Belitung Island, Indonesia. Organizer: Prof. Mary Elliot.
06/2019 at Centro EuroMediteranneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici, Bologna, Italy. Organizer: Dr. Silvio Gualdi.
06/2019 at University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. Organizer: Prof. Kerim H. Nisancioglu.
06/2019 at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Organizer: Prof. Rodrigo Caballero.
09/2018 at LandCover6ka Working Group, Sitges, Spain. Organizer: LC6ka Organizing Committee
09/2018 at University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Organizer: Prof. David Phillips
07/2018 at University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Organizer: Prof. Pedro Diaz.
06/2018 at Centro EuroMediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici, Bologna, Italy. Organizer: Dr. Silvio Gualdi.
06/2018 at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Organizer: Prof. Rodrigo Caballero.
02/2018 at Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Organizer: Prof. Alexey Federov.
01/2018 at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Organizer: Prof. Jonas Nycander.
02/2017 at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA. Organizer: Prof. Jean Lynch-Stieglitz.
11/2016 at Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada. Organizer: Prof. Gilles Couture.
10/2016 at Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Paris, France. Organizer: Dr. Cyrille Flamant.
06/2016 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA. Organizer: Prof. David McGee.
05/2016 at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, MA, USA. Organizer: Dr. Sarah Das.
02/2016 at University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Organizer: Prof. Paul Myers.
02/2016 at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, NY, USA. Organizers: Profs. Peter deMenocal, Alessandra Giannini and Katia Fernandes.
02/2016 at Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Organizer: Prof. Alexey Federov.
10/2015 at the Ice2ice workshop (On the puzzling features of Greenland ice-core isotopic composition) held in Copenhagen 26-28th October 2015.
08/2015 at Bolin Centre Summer School on Isotopes Climate and the Earth System 23-29 August 2015 Islay - Scotland (UK)
05/2015 at Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada. Organizer: Prof. Laxmi Sushama.
05/2015 at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Organizers: Profs. John R. Gyakum and Lawrence Mysak.
09/2014 at the “Exploratory workshops on faunal history and exploitation of seals in Northern Europe - Consequences of past climate change on evolutionary dynamics in Arctic species”. Archeology department, Stockholm University. Organizers: Dr. Aikaterini Glykou, Dr. Jan Storå, Prof. Kerstin Lidén.
03/2014 at Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Norway – Prof. Kerim H. Nisancioglu.
06/2013 at Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland. Organizer: Prof. Ari Laaksonen.
06/2013 at Meteorological Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden. Organizer: Prof. Rodrigo Caballero.
10/2012 at Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Oslo, Norway. Organizer: Dr. habil. Michael Schulz.
09/2011 at Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Norway – Dr. Anders Sirevaag, organizer.
06/2010 at School of Geography, Politics & Sociology, University of Newcastle, England – Dr. Stephen Juggins, organizer.
Grants and fellowships
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Project Title: Arctic-Tropical Teleconnections in the climate system (ArcTrop)
Role: PI (co-Is: Anne de Vernal – UQAM; Paul Myers – UofA)
Sponsoring Agency: FRQNT – NSERC (NOVA Program)
Total potential award: CA$ 270 k
Period: 04/2023 – 03/2026
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Project Title: The chronology of hominin occupation in the northern Luangwa Valley, Zambia, during the Plio-Pleistocene
Role: co-I (PI and co-Is: Ariane Burke – UdeM; Michel Lamothe – UQAM; Matthew Peros – Bishop University)
Sponsoring Agency: GEOTOP (Collaborative Program)
Total awarded: CA$ 25 k.
Period: 04/2023 – 03/2025
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Project Title: A Holocene history of rainfall extremes for the South Pacific.
Role: co-I (PI and co-Is: Danielle Verdon-Kidd, Silvia Frisia – University of Newcastle; Quan Hua – ANSTO)
Sponsoring Agency: Australian Research Council (Discovery Project)
Total awarded: CA$ 400 k
Period: 01/2023 – 12/2025
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Project Title: The impact of land cover and aerosol on climate: from past to future
Sponsoring Agency: Compute Canada Resource Allocation
Total awarded: CA$ 465 k (equivalent) [CA$ 301 k in 2022-2023].
Period: 04/2018 – 03/2023
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Project title: Support a 3-week stay at the University of Sāo Paulo in Brazil
Role: PI
Sponsoring agency: Teaching Mobility Program (EduCanada).
Total awarded: CA$ 7 k.
Period: 06/2022
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Project Title: Urban-scale environmental modifications due to the COVID-19 outbreak
Role: PI (co-I: Sylvie Leroyer – ECCC)
Sponsoring Agency: ECCC (G&C)
Total awarded: CA$ 130 k.
Period: 04/2021 – 03/2023
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Project Title: Modeling the past to future climate and teleconnections in the global to regional climate system
Role: PI (co-Is: Anne de Vernal and Philippe Gachon – UQAM)
Sponsoring Agency Canadian Foundation for Innovation (John R. Evans Leaders fund)
Total awarded: CA$ 629 k.
Period: 06/2020 – 12/2024
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Project Title: Develop a Systematic Understanding of the lmpacts of Forest Fires Emissions on Atmospheric Circulation and its Predictability
Role: PI (co-I: Ashu Dastoor – ECCC)
Sponsoring Agency: ECCC (G&C)
Total awarded: CA$ 140 k.
Period: 04/2019 – 03/2023
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Project Title: Effects of volcanic eruptions on climate (VolCLIM)
Role: PI
Sponsoring Agency: FRQNT (Program Establishment of new professor)
Total awarded: CA$ 118.5 k.
Period: 04/2019 – 03/2021 (extended to 03/2023 due to COVID)
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Project Title: Future evolution of the West African Monsoon
Role: PI (co-Is: Cyrille Flamant – LATMOS; Christophe Lavaysse – IRD)
Sponsoring Agency: FRQNT (Program Samuel De Champlain)
Total awarded: CA$ 35 k.
Period: 04/2019 – 03/2021
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Project Title: Vegetation-ocean interaction in the (paleo)climate system
Role: co-I (PI and co-Is: Anne de Vernal, Michelle Garneau – UQAM; Matthew Peros – Bishop University)
Sponsoring Agency: GEOTOP (Collaborative Program)
Total awarded: CA$ 25 k.
Period: 04/2019 – 03/2021
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Project Title: Dust Impact and Vegetation Influence on CLIMate: looking to the future from a paleo perspective (DiViCLIM)
Role: PI
Sponsoring Agency: NSERC (Discovery Grant)
Total awarded: CA$ 192.5 k.
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Period: 04/2018 – 03/2023 (extended to 03/2024 due to COVID)
Project Title: Vegetation-ocean interaction in the (paleo)climate system
Role: co-I (PI: Ariane Burke – UdeM and 10 others co-Is from North American and European Institutions)
Sponsoring Agency: FRQSC (Team Grant)
Total awarded: CA$ 300 k.
Period: 04/2018 – 03/2023 (extended to 03/2024 due to COVID)
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Project Title: Start-up Grant
Role: PI
Sponsoring Agency: Faculty of Science and Depart. of Earth and Atmos. Sci. at UQAM
Total awarded: CA$ 27.5 k.
Period: 06/2017 – 05/2019
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Project Title: PAlaeo-Constraints on Monsoon Evolution and Dynamics (PACMEY)
Role: co-PI from Sweden (PI: Pascal Braconnot – LSCE and other 11 co-PI and many additional co-Is)
Sponsoring Agency: BELMONT Forum
Total awarded: CA$ ~4.0 m (CA$ ~300 k – Swedish Partnership).
Period: 06/2016 – 05/2019
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Project Title: On the climatic impacts of nuclear war aerosol emissions
Sponsoring Agency: Swedish association of medical doctors against nuclear weapons.
Total awarded: CA$ ~50k
Period: 08/2014 – 10/2014
Grants to organize workshops
Paleoclimate Workshop October 20th-22nd 2014
Understanding the processes behind isotope signals in paleoclimate archives, together with modern satellite measurements and atmospheric modeling.
Main invited confirmed guests: Ulysses S. Ninnemann and Johannes Werner (University of Bergen, Norway), Valerie Masson-Delmotte (LSCE, France), Dr. Sebastian Breitenbach (ETH Zurich), Dr. Neil Loader (Swansea University, UK) and Dr. Dirk Sachse (University of Potsdam). Funds granted by the Bolin Center for Climate Research. Funds granted by International Meteorological Institute.
Volcanic Eruptions Workshop November 5th-7th 2014
High-latitude volcanic eruption and climate: filling the gaps. The outcome and modeling strategy, which were defined during this workshop was an important contribution and highly relevant for the volcanic forcing (VolMIP) initiative (initiative under consideration for aCMIP6-Endorsed MIP*).
Main invited confirmed guests: Alan Robock (Rutgers University, USA), David Battisti (University of Washington, USA), Kirstin Krüger (University of Oslo, Norway), Claudia Timmreck (Max Plank Institute, Germany), Myriam Khodri (LOCEAN/IPSL, France), Anja Schmidt (University of Leeds, UK). Funds granted by International Meteorological Institute.
* VolMIP application contributors: D. Zanchettin, C. Timmreck, M. Khodri, A. Robock, G. Hegerl, A. Schmidt, M. Toohey, F.S.R. Pausata, B. Black, O. Bothe, J.M. English, E. Gerber, H.F. Graf, A. Legrande, G. Mann, S.J. Phipps, C.C. Raible, B. Stevens, D. Swingedouw, K. Tsigaridis. More info on VolMIP: http://www.wcrp-climate.org/index.php/modelling-wgcm-mip-catalogue/modelling-wgcm- mips/505-modelling-wgcm-volmip
Università degli Studi di Bologna ARSTUD Scholarship from 2001 to 2006
Honors & Awards
Prize for Excellence in Research 2022– Professor – Emerging Category; Faculty of Sciences – UQAM.
WMO Professor Mariolopoulos Trust Fund Award for 2020 for the following contribution: Pausata F.S.R., Zhang, Q., Muschitiello, F., Lu, Z., Chafik, L., Niedermeyer, E.M., Stager, J.C., Cobb, K.M., and Liu, Z.: Green Sahara suppressing ENSO activity during the Mid-Holocene, Nature Communications, 2017.
European Geoscience Union (EGU) complimentary membership for 2011 for the EGU-related activities performed.
The paper “Impacts of changes in North Atlantic atmospheric circulation on particulate matter and human health in Europe” has been selected as an AGU "Research Spotlight" and to feature in Wiley’s News Round-Up.
Selection as Editor Choice feature by Science (1 July 2011 issue) of the paper “Chinese stalagmite δ18O controlled by changes in the Indian monsoon during a simulated Heinrich event.”
Academic service
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Guest Editor for the journal Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
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Associate Editor for the journal PlosOne.
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Reviewer of manuscripts for Nature, Nature Geosci., Nature Comm., Science Advs., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Atmos. Chem. Phys., Geology, Quat. Sci. Rev., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., J. Clim., Geophys. Res. Lett., J. Geophys. Res., Clim. Past..
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Chair the Ocean Science III session at the AGU Joint Assembly meeting in Montreal, May 2015.
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Reviewer for National Science Foundation – USA proposals.
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Member of the jury evaluating the PhD thesis of Gemechu Fanta Garuma (May 2019)
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Member of the jury evaluating the PhD thesis of Ignacio Hermoso de Mendoza Naval (February 2019)
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Member of the jury evaluating the Licentiate* thesis of Yamoah Kweku Kyei Afrifa’s (Reconstruction of the Southeast Asian hydro-climate using biomarkers and their hydrogen isotopic composition)at Stockholm University (12/01/2015).
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Organizer or co-organizer of the following workshop:
- On the puzzling features of Greenland ice-core isotopic composition; Copenhagen, Denmark 26- 28 October 2015.
- High-Latitude Volcanic Eruption Impacts on Climate: Filling the Gaps; Stockholm, Sweden, 5–7 November 2014.
- Stable water isotopes and climate; Stockholm, Sweden, 20–22 October 2014.
* Licentiate is a degree between master and PhD in the Swedish Universities
International research projects
01/2011-12/2014 PEGASOS Pan-European Gas-AeroSOl-climate interaction Study.
My task was to investigate atmospheric circulation changes in present and future climate and the consequent impacts on air quality.
08/2010-12/2010 DecCEN Exploring Decadal to Century Scale Variability and Changes in the East Asian Climate during the last Millennium.
My task was to explore East Asian climate variability on millennial time scales.
08/2007-07/2010 ARCTREC Arctic Records of Climate Change
My task was to better understand the atmospheric dynamics of past climate changes and the implications of its changes for interpreting proxy data.
Outreach activities
07/2020 Interviewed for Le Soleil regarding 2020 summer in Quebec (in French)
04/2020 Interviewed for the VOGUE magazine regarding Sahara regreening (in English)
10/2019 Interviewed for Montreal Campus magazine (in French)
01/2019 Interviewed for Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese)
03/2017 Interviewed by BBC Mundo (in Spanish)
03/2017 Interviewed by Swedish national radio (Vetenskapsradion - radio science) from minute 33 and 30 seconds. And a short news (in Swedish)
07/2015 Messori, G. and Pausata, F.S.R. “Gabriele e Francesco, alla conquista della meteorologia scandinava”. Nimbus
05/2010 Seminar about climate change for an elementary school (4th and 5th grade)
03/2010 Weather reporter for an USA web-news (komonews.com/weather/)
02/2009 Science Night at Echo Lake Elementary School in Shoreline (Seattle, WA)
01/2009 Invited guest for the TV-program “METEO WEEKEND”, Telefriuli (local Italian TV channel). Topic: Global Warming and Arctic Sea Ice retreat. Links:
2005-2006 “Open Laboratory” for high-school students
2005 Organizing Committee for the World Year of Physics at the University of Bologna
Technical skills
Numerical modeling
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Community Earth System Model
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CAM3iso + precipitation tagging module
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WACCM
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ECHAM5-HAMMOZ + slab ocean
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Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM)
Data analysis & visualization:
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Matlab
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netCDF Operators (NCO)
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Climate Data Operators (CDO)
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Bash/Csh
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Fortran
Languages
Mother tongue: Italian
Foreign languages:
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Fluent
French: Fluent
Spanish: Advanced
Norwegian/Swedish: Basic
Francesco S.R. Pausata
Associate Professor
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM)
Education
Ph.D in Geoscience
University of Bergen, Bergen, NORWAY
2007 - 2010
Advisor: Kerim H. Nisancioglu
Dissertation: Past climate variability: model analysis and proxy intercomparison
M.Sc. in Physics (Geophysics), with highest honours (110/110 e lode)
University of Bologna, Bologna, ITALY
2004 - 2006
Advisor: Rolando Rizzi
Thesis: Evaluation of radiative forcing and climate change during the XX and XXI centuries by means of AOGCM
B.Sc. in Atmospheric Physics and Meteorology, with highest honours (110/110 e lode)
University of Bologna, Bologna, ITALY
2001 - 2004
Advisor: Ennio Tosi
Thesis: Climate analysis of Friuli’s mountain region