Aïda Diongue-Niang, Senegalese meteorologist and IPCC vice-president

Since July 2023, Senegalese meteorologist Aïda Diongue-Niang has been vice-chair of the Working Group 1 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body responsible for research on climate issues.

Aïda Diongue-Niang is a Senegalese meteorologist, currently technical adviser to the Senegalese National Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM). It was during the 59th session of the IPCC in Kenya that the Senegalese scientist was appointed vice-chair of Working Group 1 of the IPCC, which focuses on “scientific aspects of the climate system and climate change”.

The Senegalese, whose mission is to coordinate scientific work within this UN structure, has accumulated around twenty years of experience in the fields of research and development on weather and climate, meteorology, etc.

She holds a postgraduate diploma in physics and chemistry from Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse III (1996), a specialized master’s degree in meteorology from the National School of Meteorology in France (1997), as well as a doctorate in atmospheric sciences, climate and meteorology in West Africa from the CNRM and Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse (2001). She began her career in Senegal in 2003, working for the National Meteorological Directorate as a research engineer. In 2009, she integrated the National Meteorological Agency of Senegal (ANAMS) as Head of the Research and Development Department. In 2013, she joined ANACIM as head of the ‘Operations and Forecasting’ department, and in 2014, she became ANACIM’s Director of Meteorology, with the mission of proposing the strategy for the meteorological vision and coordination with partners. In 2017, she was appointed Advisor within ANACIM on meteorology development issues.

In 2018, she was the lead author for Working Group I “Climate Sciences” as part of the 6th IPCC report. She was also the lead author for the global synthesis report of the 3 working groups (physical sciences, adaptation and vulnerability impacts, climate change mitigation…).

From 2021 to 2022, Aïda Diongue-Niang was also Deputy Resident Representative, responsible for public policy, at the Global Green Growth Institute, working with the Senegalese government to structure its “Emerging Senegal Plan”, the strategy designed to lead Senegal along the path to emergence by 2035.