Trevor McDougall and Jan Zika from the School of Mathematics and Statistics have been recognised in the 2025 Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Awards.
The Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS) has unveiled its 2025 Award recipients, celebrating the very best in Australia’s meteorological, oceanographic and climate science.
Professor Trevor McDougall has been awarded the Zillman Medal, Australia’s premier medal recognising senior leadership and sustained contribution to atmospheric and ocean sciences.
The citation highlights Professor McDougall’s outstanding contributions to atmospheric and oceanographic science, as well as his exceptional service to the Australian and international scientific community.
Professor McDougall’s leadership and commitment have had a lasting influence, extending well beyond his own research to strengthen collaboration, mentorship, and the broader scientific enterprise. This award acknowledges both his scientific excellence and the generosity with which he has supported and advanced the community.
Professor McDougall will be conferred his Zillman Medal at the 2026 AMOS Conference in February in Hobart.
An Emeritus Scientia Professor of Ocean Physics in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at UNSW Sydney, and the world's foremost authority on ocean thermodynamics, Professor McDougall’s trailblazing discoveries have fundamentally changed how oceanographers measure and model the ocean's role in climate.
An inaugural AMOS Fellow (2004), he served as President of the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans (2019-2023) and chaired the Australian Academy of Science's Climate Science Capability Review. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London (2012), and other honours include a Companion of the Order of Australia (2018), the Prime Minister's Prize for Science (2022), NSW Scientist of the Year (2023), and the European Geosciences Union's Alfred Wegener Medal (2025).
His work underpins the accuracy of climate projections essential to Australia's future.
“I'm very pleased that AMOS has recognised fundamental advances in ocean physics in this way with the Zillman Medal,” said Professor McDougall.
“Conducting research that has impact is seldom the work of one person, and in my case the advances in the mathematical aspects of physical oceanography have relied heavily on many very clever and hard-working colleagues and students over several decades.
“UNSW Sydney has provided a wonderful environment for conducting this type of fundamental research.”
Associate Professor Jan Zika has received the Priestley Medal, which recognises excellence in mid-career research in meteorology, oceanography or climate science.
The Priestley Medal recognises his outstanding and sustained contribution to atmospheric and oceanographic science, and his international leadership in advancing our understanding of the climate system. A/Prof Zika’s work has had a profound impact on the field, combining scientific excellence with deep insight and influence across the research community.
Jan Zika is an Associate Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at UNSW Sydney, where he leads the Climate Data Dynamics Research Group and serves as Deputy Node Leader of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Antarctic Science.
He has transformed how scientists quantify ocean and atmospheric processes by pioneering the use of thermodynamic coordinates to analyse climate data. His research has yielded high-impact findings, and he bridges data science and climate dynamics through techniques including optimal transport theory and machine learning.
This latest medal builds on A/Prof Zika’s early-career awards from other highly regarded national and international bodies. In 2018 he was awarded the Outstanding Early Career Researcher Award by the European Geosciences Union's Ocean Science Division, and in 2020 he was awarded the Australian Academy of Science Anton Hales Medal.
“I was really surprised and delighted to hear I received this medal from AMOS. I was lucky to ride through my ‘early-career’ on a wave of grants and awards - but as I entered ‘mid’ I found myself dependent on the back slaps and overly focused on my CV. A few years of not quite making my own unrealistic expectations, followed by a significant health setback, led me to some serious reflection,” said A/Prof Zika.
“I resolved to focus on research that I think is important and I find fulfilling, and to generally put the energy I have into helping others. In the past, upon receiving such an award, I might have thought ‘I have to convert this into a grant or fellowship’ accompanied by the usual angst that entails. But receiving it now and thinking about the lovely things my nominators must have written, just feels encouraging and energising.”
We extend our warmest congratulations to Trevor McDougall and Jan Zika on their latest achievements, which bring great pride to our School and highlight its strong culture of research excellence.
