Dr David Robertson

Dr David Robertson is a Principal Research Scientist and leader of the Water Forecasting Team at CSIRO Land and Water. He has more than 15 years experience in research in water forecasting, hydrology and water resources, and in research leadership. David’s current research is focussed on developing methods and systems of generating ensemble hydrological forecasts with lead times ranging from hours to 12 months. He has lead projects developing next generation streamflow forecasting methods for the Bureau of Meteorology and has made significant contributions the translation of his research into the Bureau’s seasonal and 7-day streamflow forecasting services. David has contributed to CSIRO international projects in India, Nepal and Pakistan developing water resources management and seasonal streamflow forecasting models. He has also worked with water managers in Australia to develop and evaluate forecasting systems, and suppor their use for operational decision making.

David collaborates with researchers locally and internationally to support the adoption of streamflow forecasts by end users and ensemble based methods in hydrology. He is currently Regional Chair of HEPEX, the peak international community of researcher and practitioners advancing hydrologic ensemble prediction, and contributes to the World Meteorolgoical Organisation’s project seeking to establish a Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS). David is the author of more than 90 refereed publications including more than 50 journal publications (2200 Google Scholar citations and h-index of 29).

Prior to joining CSIRO in 2008, David was an irrigation researcher with the Victorian Departments of Primary Industries and Natural Resources and Environment, where he participated in a range of project involving field experiments and modelling of hydrological process at paddock and catchment scales.