Combining observational studies and numerical modeling to further the understanding and prediction of convective systems in the tropics: the role of Brazilian scientist Maria A. F. Silva Dias

Professor Maria Silva Dias is the most prestigious and internationally renowned female atmospheric scientist in Brazil. She has contributed in numerous fronts, including education, coordination of field campaigns to collect data, and numerical modeling for both research and operational applications. Her contribution is reflected on a large number of peer-reviewed journal articles (112) and book chapters (13). She received numerous national and international prestigious awards demonstrating the international recognition of her scientific contributions.

After obtaining a B.Sc. in mathematics in Brazil, she went on to complete her M.S. and Ph.D. studies at Colorado State University. She returned to work at the University of São Paulo (USP) as the first woman with a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, and was instrumental in the establishment of an undergraduate and graduate program in the field. In spite of a limited budget and several adversities caused by the economic crisis faced by the country in the 1980s, she created an educational program comparable to to top ranked atmospheric sciences programs in the world. She taught and advised a large number of professionals in meteorology and inspired female students to pursue careers in the sciences. She was committee chair advisor for 30 M.Sc. and 18 Ph.D. students, with many of them becoming faculty, researchers, or entrepreneurs in the private sector, both in Brazil and abroad. She published a significant number of journal articles with her students, boosting their careers.

Dr. Maria Silva Dias has a keen interest in better understanding the mechanisms behind the development of South American precipitating systems. This led her to coordinate and participate in numerous field campaigns, which translated into datasets that enabled ground-breaking research by herself and collaborators in Brazil and abroad. Examples of field campaigns she played a significant role in are: RADASP (1982), the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA; starting in 1998) and Cloud Processes of the Main Precipitation Systems in Brazil (CHUVA; starting in 2010).

She is an expert in using numerical studies to explore hypotheses to explain physical processes involved in convective development. She was a pioneer in using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) in Brazil, and went on to play a key role in the development of the Brazilian version of RAMS (BRAMS).

For over five years she was Director of the Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Research, a primary Brazilian institution dedicated to the generation of numerical weather and climate products. In this capacity, she was able to employ her extensive understanding of synoptic and mesoscale meteorology to impact water resources management, agriculture, defense, and the general public.