top of page

ABOUT ME

vastness-new.jpg

I am passionate about knowledge. As a researcher and modeller, I make climate science accessible and relevant to stakeholders while contributing to the advancement of knowledge.

My interest in global environmental issues and a fascination with natural phenomena led me to do my undergraduate studies at the Ecole Polytechnique in France, where I focused on mathematics, physics, and Earth sciences. Afterwards, I relocated to Quebec, Canada, to earn a PhD from McGill University in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. Subsequently, I undertook a joint postdoctoral position at Caltech and Brown University, where my work spanned climate dynamics and theoretical physics, before moving to ETH Zurich. Currently, I am employed as a weather and climate risk modeller at Moody's Risk Management Solutions in London.

During my academic career, I addressed fundamental questions about the atmosphere, such as what influences the intensity of storms or what shapes the vertical structure of the atmosphere. I employed a combination of numerical modelling and theoretical analysis to explore these questions. My current research at Moody's RMS is much more applied and aims at modelling accurately extreme weather events relevant to the (re)insurance industry.

My research approach has always been highly multidisciplinary. My PhD work was at the interface of applied mathematics, fluid dynamics, and chemistry. My postdoctoral research bridged climate science and theoretical physics. My present research draws from climate dynamics, meteorology, and statistics.

I am driven by exploration and discovery. I have lived in six countries, studied and worked in five, and held academic positions in four universities across Europe and North America. Beyond my academic pursuits, I am an avid long-distance and trail runner, cyclist, skier, and climber.

FARID_PROFILE20190707.jpg

BIO

Modeller, weather and climate risks, 
Moody's RMS 

May 2016 - Present

Postdoctoral researcher,
ETH Zürich 

January 2014 - March 2016

Postdoctoral scholar,
Caltech and Brown University

December 2011 - December 2013

PhD, McGill 

2012

Engineering degree (Master), 
Ecole Polytechnique

2007

CONTACT ME

Moody's RMS,

The Minster Building

21 Mincing Lane

EC3R 7AG, London, UK

farid.ait-chaalal  AT  polytechnique.org

bottom of page