Claudia Tebaldi

Dr. Claudia Tebaldi is an internationally recognized climate scientist whose work focuses on climate projections, statistical modeling, and the impacts of extreme weather and sea level rise. With a background in statistics, she has spent her career advancing the understanding of how climate change affects societies, economies, and infrastructure worldwide.

Dr. Tebaldi is a scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a partnership between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland that studies the interactions between human and Earth systems. Since joining the institute in 2019, she has contributed to interdisciplinary research examining climate hazards, human vulnerability, and resilience.

A leading expert in climate risk assessment, Dr. Tebaldi has served in prominent roles with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and in leadership positions with several national and international climate-focused organizations.

Early in her career, Dr. Tebaldi helped bring attention to climate extremes, including heat waves and intense precipitation events. Her landmark 2004 Science paper, “More intense, more frequent and longer lasting heat waves in the 21st century,” remains one of the most cited studies in the field and contributed to growing awareness of climate-related risks.

She has also been a pioneer in modeling coastal flood risks associated with sea level rise and storm surges. In 2021, she led a major study showing that extreme sea level events are expected to become significantly more frequent worldwide as global temperatures rise.

Throughout her career, Dr. Tebaldi has authored numerous influential studies that continue to shape climate science, risk assessment, and adaptation planning around the world.