Véronique Bouchet

Dr Bouchet is responsible for the three WMO World Research Programmes and associated governance of the Research Board and the Science Advisory Panel, the development and implementation of globally harmonized services and applications through the Commission for Weather, Climate, Hydrological, Marine, and Related Environmental Services and Applications and the coordination of WMO education, training and capacity development activities. She is jointly responsible for Artificial Intelligence (AI) within WMO’s programmes.

With a PhD in atmospheric modelling applied to air quality, Dr. Bouchet was responsible, early in her career, for the development of numerical prediction application programs, including air quality forecasting and regulatory decision support programs for the Environmental Protection Branch of ECCC. Then, from 2010 to 2020, she held several executive positions at ECCC: Director of Air Quality Research, Director of Meteorological Research, Director of National Operations, and Executive Director of National Development. In 2020 she assumed the position of Director General of the Canadian Centre for Meteorological and Environmental Prediction, where she oversaw the implementation of scientific innovations, the 24/7 production of numerical prediction systems and emergency response to atmospheric and other incidents, the forecast systems development and the training program for forecasters. During that time, Dr Bouchet coordinated the renewal of operational high-performance computing platform at ECCC and oversaw the development of its first roadmap for integration of AI in numerical weather and environmental predictions. 

Dr Bouchet also served in various WMO committees from 2009 on, including as Chair of the WMO Task team on Exascale, Data Handling and AI (2020-2022), Chair of the WMO working group on the Future Data Infrastructure since 2023 and the Co-chair of the Task Team on AI for Numerical Weather Prediction since 2024.