The Blog

BUSHFIRE AND NATURAL HAZARDS SCIENCE

Sharing our tools, our knowledge, and our strengths in order to respond in the best possible way to the forthcoming global changes that will affect us all.

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Born after the France and Australia Bushfires Science Workshop, this community aims at continuing the discussion and strengthen the bilateral collaborations between France and Australia, in the field of Bushfire Science, Natural Hazard, and Climate Prediction…

Because Science is stronger when it is shared, and because these fields of expertise are so crucial to the sustainability of our communities and societies, the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, the Group of 8, Business France, the Embassy of France, the AFRAN Association, as well as many French and Australian researchers, emergency services or private actors are joining forces on these topics. This community is an avenue to support bilateral or multilateral activities in these fields.

COMMUNITY LEADERS

SEBASTIEN LAHAYE

PhD on wildfire science and 20 years’ career as Fire Officer in the South of France. In 2017, he conducted research on extreme wildfires at University of New South Wales. For the 3 last years, at SAFE Cluster (FR), he has coordinated FIRE-IN, a H2020 project building a network of Fire and Rescue practitioners to boost research and innovation in Europe. He has also contributed to several collaborative initiatives to develop societal resilience face to fires. In 2020, he has founded Warucene Company and taken the lead of the French network of prescribed burnings (500+ foresters, firefighters and pastoral farmers).

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JEAN-BAPTISTE FILIPPI

Jean Baptiste Filippi is a Researcher at CNRS since 2006. He received his Phd from the University of Corsica in 2003. He was a Japanese Society for the promotion of Science Post doctoral fellow at the University of Tokyo where he performed research on drifting seaweeds, using discrete events simulation. In 2005 he worked in data processing for the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast in Reading (UK). He is now focusing his research on forest fire and atmosphere simulation, uncertainty quantification and burn probabilities using deep learning,  developing methods, softwares and frameworks (from raw data storage and retrieval to front propagation simulation and result analysis). Coordinator of two national projects on wildfire forecasting tools (including the current FireCaster program), he received the 2nd prize ATOS/Fourier in 2014 for his work on fire weather computation.

FERNANDO ALVES

Fernando Guerra Alves is the Head of the Industry department for Business France Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands (the French Embassy Trade Commission). He holds a double Master’s degree in Commerce & Business Management from the University of Sydney Business School.

He is responsible for leading a team of local trade and investment consultants and is the gateway for French companies in the industry sector wishing to develop in and expand to ANZ. Fernando and his team focus on advising CEOs on how to successfully set up their business in Australia by developing strong ties with Commonwealth, State & Territory government agencies, prime contractors and the local supply chain. He has assisted over 200 French companies since 2017 in the defence, Manufacturing, infrastructure, spatial, renewable energy and mining industries, and has also led several official trade missions in Australia and ASEAN, including the agency’s flagship accelerator program “Maritime Connection Days” launched by the French President in May 2018.

PARTNERS INVOLVED

Our network includes world leading Institutions with expertise across the entire bushfire and natural hazards sector.

CRC Bushfire and Natural Hazards

The Bushfire and Natural Hazard Cooperative Research Centre is conducting research to build a disaster-resilient Australia. Australian Government funds under the Cooperative Research Centres Program have been matched by support from state and territory government organisations, research institutions and NGOs.

Group of Eigth

The Group of Eight (Go8) comprises Australia’s leading research-intensive universities – the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia, the University of Adelaide, Monash University and UNSW Sydney. The Go8 is a company and was incorporated in 1999. The Go8 is focussed on, and is a leader in, influencing the development and delivery of long-term sustainable national higher education and research policy, and in developing elite international alliances and research partnerships.