News & Events
Western engineering dean Ken Coley, Western’s new Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Climate Risk and Resilience Analytics Seth Guikema and ImpactWX Chair in Severe Storms Engineering Greg Kopp visit the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory. (Steve Anderson / Western Communications)
Western recruits US severe storm risk and resilience expert
Posted 27 Aug 2026
As severe weather becomes more frequent and costly, Western University has recruited a global leader in risk, resilience and disaster analytics to help build the next generation of tools that measure the impacts of storms, wildfires and other natural hazards.
Seth Guikema, an internationally recognized civil and environmental engineer, is joining Western as the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Climate Risk and Resilience Analytics, receiving $8 million in federal funding. Guikema, who held previous appointments at Texas A&M University and Johns Hopkins University, comes to Western Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Guikema’s arrival strengthens Western’s growing international leadership in natural hazards research, adding a new dimension to the work already underway through the Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory (CSSL) and its research programs focused on tornadoes, hail, severe weather observations and climate resilience. He develops data-driven solutions and practical tools to help communities prepare and respond to severe weather.
“The hope is always to provide actionable information to decision makers – from the federal government to individual households – about the potential impacts of severe storms,” said Guikema. “That knowledge can help drive better decisions about reducing risk from the hazards faced today, while also preparing for changes in future hazard risk induced by climate change.”
CSSL 2025 Annual Report now available!
Posted 9 Mar 2026
The first CSSL Annual Report for 2025 is now available here!
As well as reviewing the activities of the Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory over its inaugural full year, the report covers the 2025 activities of the Northern Mesonet Project, the Northern Hail Project and the Northern Tornadoes Project.
CSSL Symposium
Posted 1 Nov 2024
The first CSSL Symposium brought leading severe storms experts from across the globe to Western on October 29th to celebrate the launch of the CSSL and the beginning of a new era of severe storms research and knowledge sharing in Canada. The symposium was held at Museum London along the shore of the Thames River in downtown London, Ontario. The detailed agenda can be found below.
Note that the symposium was recorded - you can find it here!
CSSL Symposium Agenda
Session 1 - CSSL Introduction
| 8:00 AM | Registration |
| 9:00 AM | Opening Remarks |
| 9:10 AM |
Gregory Kopp David Sills |
Session 2 - Keynote Lectures
| 9:40 AM |
Harold Brooks |
| 10:10 AM | Pieter Groenemeijer European Severe Storms Laboratory |
| 10:40 AM |
Coffee Break |
Session 3 - Severe Storms Meteorology
| 10:50 AM |
Daniel Michelson |
| 11:10 AM | James LaDue National Weather Service — Warning Decision Training Division |
| 11:30 AM |
Paola Salio |
| 11:50 AM |
Joshua Soderholm |
| 12:10 PM |
John Allen |
| 12:30 PM |
Lunch |
Session 4 - Severe Storms Engineering
| 1:30 PM |
Girma Bitsuamlak |
| 1:50 PM | Tanya Brown-Giammanco National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| 2:10 PM | Frank Lombardo University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| 2:30 PM | Forrest Masters University of Florida |
| 2:50 PM | Yukio Tamura Chongqing University |
| 3:10 PM | Coffee Break |
Session 5 - Severe Storms Impacts
| 3:20 PM |
Paul Kovacs |
| 3:40 PM | Laura Twidle Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. |
| 4:00 PM | Jen Henderson Texas Tech University — Risk and Equity in Disasters Lab |
| 4:20 PM | Daphne LaDue University of Oklahoma — Center of Analysis & Prediction of Storms |
Session 6 - CSSL Operations & Research
| 4:40 PM |
John Hanesiak |
| 4:50 PM | Jennifer Spinney York University |
| 5:00 PM | Julian Brimelow Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory — Northern Hail Project |
| 5:10 PM | Connell Miller Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory — Northern Mesonet Project |
| 5:20 PM |
Closing Remarks |
| 5:30 PM | Symposium Adjourns |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner The Great Hall — Western University |
