The Group
The UVic Climate Dynamics Laboratory: Our Lovely Group Members
Our group members have a wide range of scientific interests and expertise. Meet each of them below.
Dr. Dipti Hingmire
Perpetually intrigued by the complexities of climate interactions, Dipti likes to be called a climate learner, and mainly studies large-scale climate dynamics. She recently completed her PhD at the Indian Institute of Tropical Metorology at Pune, India. In her free time, she likes to read books and go hiking. More details about her work can be found at Researchgate.
Dr. Haruki Hirasawa
Haruki is a climate modeler interested in the climate responses to spatially pattern forcing signals (namely anthropogenic sulphate and sea salt emissions) and the influence of atmosphere and ocean coupling on the time evolution of those responses. His hometown is St. John’s, NL, where he did his undergrad at the Memorial University of Newfoundland before moving to the University of Toronto for his PhD. On weekends he enjoys exploring Victoria on bicycle and buying used books faster than he can read them.
Dr. Julia Jeworrek
Julia joined the group in March 2023 with a BSc from Germany, a MSc from Sweden, and a PhD from UBC, Vancouver—all in Atmospheric Science. Julia’s background is mostly in meteorology. Her PhD research at the UBC Weather Forecast Research Team improved short-term precipitation forecasts over the mountainous coastal regions of BC using numerical and statistical methods. Now as a postdoc on the Blue Carbon Canada project, she is investigating the climate impacts of kelp halocarbon emissions. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the great outdoors, doing photography, and playing the cello.
Kyle Heyblom, PhD Student
Growing up in Huntsville, Ontario, Kyle learned to appreciate the natural world as a place of fascination and wonder. After completing an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at McMaster University, he decided to transition from studying the man-made to the natural world. Kyle’s research focuses on how the atmospheric hydrologic cycle (the evaporation, transport, and precipitation of water) is changing in the face of climate change and methods in which this change can be more easily observed. When he is not studying the rain, Kyle enjoys spending as much time as possible in the sunshine doing activities such as trail running and backpacking.
Kristyn Lang, Honours UG Student
Kristyn is a fourth year undergraduate student pursuing a Double Major in Earth Science and Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria. Her broad research interests include the use of models to quantify earth system dynamics and analyze the impacts of changing climate on both regional and global scales. She is currently working on an Honours thesis examining how precipitation is projected to change over topography in Southern British Columbia. She spends her free time backpacking in the coastal rainforest and scrambling in the alpine (pictured on the Mount Begbie glacier in Revelstoke, BC).
Keighan Gemmell, UG Student
Keighan completed his combined Honours degree in Chemistry and Ocean Sciences from UVic in April of 2022. His current research focuses on using machine learning to deepen our understanding of climate interactions through both satellite observations and various climate models. When he is not doing research you can find him playing a variety of sports such as Volleyball, Basketball, Spikeball, or anything that is active and competitive.
Dr. Wilton Aguiar-Filho, Visiting Scholar
Wilton is a physical oceanographer and recently received his PhD from the Oceanographic Institute of the Federal University of the Rio Grande (FURG-Brazil). Wilton’s research is focused on past and future changes in the large-scale ocean circulation and its effect on climate, with particular focus on the following topics: polar climate, past and future ocean overturning, paleoclimate, and the carbon cycle. Wilton is also passionate about landscape photographs, and you can check out his cool photos of Antarctica and Yellowstone National Park on his webpage, https://willaguiar.github.io/.
Prof. Hansi Singh, PI
Hansi grew up in California and Texas, and is certainly a child of the ’90s. It is unclear why she has an unhealthy fascination with high latitude climates, as she generally avoids snow and ice. When not indulging in polar science or spending time with her children, she pumps iron in her garage gym.
Group Alumni
Dr. Ariel Morrison, former Postdoctoral Fellow
Ariel is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Climate & AI at in the Hurrell Group at Colorado State University.
Kevwe Oghenechovwen, former MSc Student
Kevwe is a currently a Climate Services Specialist at Climalogix.