Fire Team

The Scion Fire and Atmospheric Sciences Team has strong capabilities in fire behaviour modelling that includes knowledge and experience across a range of vegetation types and landscapes. Members of the team hold a diverse mix of skills.

Tara Strand

General Manager - Forest and Landscapes

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Samuel Aguilar

Scientist

Dr Samuel Aguilar-Arugello's research focuses on understanding fire behavior and ecology fuel management and fire ecology, helping to predict fire risks and inform land management practice.Read more
Veronica Clifford

Wildfire Behaviour Specialist

Background: Veronica has been part of New Zealand’s rural fire research since 2007, specializing in fuel types, fire behavior prediction, and using fire as a land… Read more
Shana Gross

Science Lead - Wildfire Research, Fire Ecologist

With over 12 years of experience in wildfire research in New Zealand and the U.S., Shana combines ecological and fire sciences to create applied tools for fire management. She enjoys… Read more
Laura Kiely

Atmospheric Scientist

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Jamie

Senior Fire Technician/Technical Supervisor

Jamie has over a decade of experience in wildfire fighting and management, along with in-depth knowledge of fire behavior. With a background in aviation management during fire and other incidents,… Read more
Lisa Langer

Social Wildfire Research Scientist

Lisa has led social wildfire research at Scion since 2003, working on case studies of communities affected by wildfires. Currently, Lisas research within Scion’s Extreme Wildfire research programme investigates how… Read more
Richard Parker

Scientist

Richard’s research focusses on the difficult and dangerous occupations of forest harvesting and rural fire fighting from the perspectives of human factors and technology. He leads research on… Read more
Katerina Pihera-Ridge

Portfolio Leader

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Ilze Pretorius

Atmospheric Dispersion Modeller

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Wayne Schou

Technologist

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Hugh Wallace

Team Lead

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Simon Wegner

Social Scientist

Simon has a background in psychology and natural resource policy, with particular expertise in understanding how people respond to natural hazards, biosecurity incursions and other environmental threats. He… Read more
Taylor Welsh

Field Instrument Technician

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Alison Wilson

Project Delivery Manager

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Jiawei Zhang

Scientist

Jiawei specializes in fire-atmosphere modeling, studying how fires behave under various weather conditions. His work helps improve forecasts and response strategies. He is also interested in developing and… Read more