About us
Dr Beata Latos
Beata Latos completed her PhD at the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, with a focus on the influence of equatorial waves in triggering extreme weather events in the Maritime Continent. She has conducted research on the role of equatorial waves in causing intense precipitation in Sulawesi, Indonesia, as well as in the genesis of the recent tropical cyclone Seroja.
Currently, she serves as a post-doctoral researcher at the Typhoon Research Center, Jeju National University, South Korea, where she leverages artificial intelligence to advance our understanding of tropical cyclone formation and intensification. For additional information, please visit www.beatalatos.com.
Beata is a devoted advocate for human and animal rights, as well as environmental conservation.
Mr Thierry Lefort
Thierry Lefort is currently a national forecaster at Météo-France; he previously worked as a trainer at the Ecole Nationale de la Météorologie (specialized in tropical meteorology), and earlier as a tropical forecaster in New Caledonia, Southwest Pacific Ocean.
Thierry Lefort has been involved in numerous international activities of capacity building of SMN staff in the Tropics through WMO projects like CREWS (West African SMNs), Public-Private Partnerships projects (through Meteofrance International with BMKG, IMD, INAMET Angola, SMN Argentina).
He has been a member of the WMO/WWRP expert team on Severe Monsoon Weather. He has been involved in studies showing the role of equatorial waves in the occurrence of extreme precipitation events and tropical cyclones over Indonesia.
Besides shift work, Thierry is very active in various international testbeds that explore subseasonal prediction methods and the use of Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves in short and medium-range forecasts.
Ms Kiki Ekasiwi
Kiki has been working as a weather forecaster in Indonesia for 17 years, serving public weather information, as well as aviation weather. In recent years, her main focus has been on early warning systems, especially those related to the potential for short-term extreme weather, the potential for forest and land fires, and tropical cyclones.