Scholarships that are helping to change the world
Part two: Mitigating climate-related hazards in Nepal
In the second instalment of our series about Oxford graduates who are taking on some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges, we meet a former doctoral student working to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting in Nepal — a country regularly affected by devastating floods and landslides.
(Read Part one: Rebuilding Brazil’s environmental profile here)
Dr Jagadish Karmacharya: ‘Studying at Oxford expanded my horizons’
Jagadish has worked in the field of meteorology for the past two decades, beginning his career as a weather forecaster at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) in Nepal.
After studying for a DPhil at Oxford, he returned to the country in 2014 and now works as the Deputy Director General of the DHM’s Climate Division. He has recently completed a major project to enhance the Government of Nepal’s capacity to mitigate climate-related hazards.
It was a dream of mine to study abroad and I chose Oxford as I wanted to go to a university that offered scholarships. I attended on a Felix Foundation Scholarship to study a DPhil in Geography and the Environment.
I enjoyed the diverse group of people that were on the course with me; it was interesting to meet so many fellow students from many different countries. The Felix Foundation held an annual reception during my time there, which gave us access to the staff who organised the scholarships and enabled us to meet other students who received support through the programme.
I started my DPhil at Oxford more than a decade after joining the national meteorological service in Nepal. My experience of university life in Oxford was slightly different from most scholarship students. I arrived with my family of small children, so I spent much of my time looking after them alongside my studies — meaning I was a little less socially active than some of the younger students with fewer commitments!
Studying at Oxford has expanded my horizons in the field of meteorology and exposed me to cutting-edge research in the field of climate models and climate projections.
During the initial phase of my career (before I came to Oxford) I was given the opportunity to become engaged in the field of climate change, focusing on regional climate modelling and climate change projection. During my DPhil I was able to further my understanding of regional climate simulation over the South Asia region by using the UK Met Office’s global climate model.
Weather, climate and climate change are key areas that fall under the realm of meteorology, with the topic of climate change in particular receiving ever increasing global attention due to its adverse impact. Further increasing our understanding in the field of meteorology is important because it allows us to better predict weather and climate across a range of time scales — from a few hours to a few centuries — for the socioeconomic benefit of the entire world.
I’ve had a career in meteorology for the last 20 years and have worked my way up to the position I hold today. I was promoted to Deputy Director General of the Meteorological Forecasting Division in 2014 while I was studying for my DPhil at Oxford. In late 2018 I was transferred to the Climate Division, which I am still leading today.
My main responsibility is to ensure that all of the division’s activities, including meteorological data management and the provision of climate and agro-met services, are implemented smoothly. I also support the Director General in formulating the plans, programme and strategy of the DHM in order to gradually enhance its service.
In early 2019 I was appointed as the National Project Director of the Building Resilience to Climate-Related Hazards project. It is a matter of great satisfaction that, despite the tight schedule, the project was successfully completed last year, fulfilling its objective to enhance government capacity to mitigate climate-related hazards through the transformation of Nepal’s hydro-meteorological services. Our aim was to create a modern, service-orientated system that would lead to enhanced accuracy of weather and flood forecasts, with timely warnings for disaster preparedness.
As the National Project Director, I had to supervise overall project implementation and sanction technical deliverables of all activities. I also had to engage with the development partner’s task team, consult with the international project consulting firm and supervise the performance of national and international consultants. Knowledge and exposure accrued at Oxford and the network built there has been a great asset, enabling me to deliver all my responsibilities effectively.
Shortly before publication, Jagadish moved from his role as Deputy Director General of the DHM’s Climate Division to take up the post of Secretary at the Water Resource and Energy Development Ministry of Karnali Province, Nepal.
