Roxy Mathew Koll

Roxy Mathew Koll is a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. His research focuses on climate change and extreme weather events in the Indo-Pacific region, with significant contributions to understanding of Indian Ocean warming, monsoon dynamics, heatwaves, tropical cyclones and their impacts on public health. He was involved in writing the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate and the Sixth Assessment Report.

Koll completed a B.Sc. in physics from CMS College Kottayam, followed by an M.Sc. in physical oceanography from Cochin University of Science and Technology, India. He completed his Ph.D. in Ocean and Atmospheric Dynamics from Hokkaido University, Japan, in 2007.

Koll worked as a Research Scientist at the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) in Bologna, Italy, from 2008 to 2010. Since 2010, he has worked as a scientist at IITM, Pune, involved in projects related to ocean observations, climate modeling and earth system research. He also holds a concurrent position as a Professor at the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR). He was a visiting scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in Maryland in 2012, and at the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) in Seattle from 2018 to 2019.

Koll has made contributions to understanding the rapid warming of the Indian Ocean, and how this warming is driving changes in the monsoon, the marine ecosystem, and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events across the region. He has referred to the Indian Ocean as a "canary in a coal mine," suggesting that the climate change and extreme weather events occurring there serve as a warning for the future of all oceans, if urgent action is not taken. His work has shown that the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool is altering global rainfall patterns by modulating the Madden–Julian oscillation, which impacts weather systems across the tropics and beyond.

Koll has been involved in the United Nations World Climate Research Programme's CLIVAR Project. He was the co-chair of the CLIVAR Indian Ocean Region Panel during 2018 to 2023 and played a role in redesigning the Indian Ocean Observing System to better understand and forecast the weather and climate for the nations surrounding the Indian Ocean. He played a role in developing India's first Earth System Model and has been a lead author for the IPCC reports.

In a study published in Scientific Reports, Koll and his team examined how climatic factors such as temperature, rainfall, and humidity influence dengue transmission in Pune, India. They developed an artificial intelligence-based model capable of predicting dengue outbreaks two months in advance, enabling authorities to implement proactive measures to mitigate the impact. Koll emphasized the importance of health data sharing and collaboration with state health departments to create customized early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases across different regions.

Koll received a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Kavli Fellowship in 2015. In 2016 his research on the impact of climate change on the monsoon earned him the Indian Meteorological Society's Young Scientist Award. In 2018 he was awarded the National Research Council (NRC) Senior Research Associateship of the US National Academy of Sciences.

In December 2022 the American Geophysical Union (AGU) awarded him the AGU Devendra Lal Medal for scientists in developing countries in recognition of his research in Earth sciences and conferred him as an AGU Fellow.