Surya Karthik Mukkavilli

Karthik Mukkavilli's research involves high resolution numerical weather forecasts, machine learning and big data geospatial statistics from satellite remote sensing to improve accuracy of solar forecasts with atmospheric aerosols or air particulates on high performance computers.

Reducing uncertainty of atmospheric physics models from aerosols (airborne particulates of dust storms, biomass fires and burning fossil fuels) on solar radiation is vital for air quality monitoring, solar power forecasting, weather, climate change projections and mitigating risk in many sectors including agriculture, energy, health, transportation, insurance & financial commodity markets.

He is affiliated with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Photovoltaic & Renewable Energy Engineering and is an Office of the Chief Executive (OCE) scholar with Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Oceans & Atmosphere flagship. Karthik has been engaged in projects such as Hybrid Photovoltaic/ Thermal research at Imperial College London's Chemical & Process Systems Engineering Department prior to UNSW/CSIRO, including several others ranging from nanotechnology to artificial intelligence with university, industrial labs and technology companies; his interest in research began in New Zealand at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University Auckland with an off-grid photovoltaics honours project.

He serves on the American Meteorological Society Artificial Intelligence Committee for Environmental Science Applications, Technical Advisory Group of World Energy & Meteorology Council and is a Drawdown Research Fellow. He is also actively engaged in entrepreneurship with disruptive and decentralised technologies (internet of/on things) with planetary science applications, and has a special interest in space and emerging markets such as India.