Ligia Bernardet is a meteorologist who has made significant contributions to the field of weather prediction. She grew up in Brazil and initially considered becoming a history teacher, following in her parents' footsteps who were in the humanities. However, her interest in the flow of small objects and how things move around in space led her to study meteorology at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. Bernardet's first job out of university was at the Weather Prediction Center for a sugarcane plantation, which was part of a university consortium working with sugarcane. Despite the challenges of forecasting in Brazil, especially in the late 1980s, she found the work engaging and fulfilling. She later moved back to São Paulo and worked as a research assistant at the University, where she started her Masters program with Dr. Maria Silva Dias. Her research focused on numerical weather prediction for regional forecasting in Southeast Brazil. Through her contacts, she got to know some professors at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, and ended up applying for her PhD there. After her PhD, Bernardet moved back to Brazil for two years and worked at the weather service headquarters in the capital of Brazil, Brasília. She was part of the first group who helped install and deploy weather prediction models at the weather service in Brazil and trained forecasters to use those models. Bernardet returned to Colorado and has since been working at the Developmental Testbed Center. She has worked with several numerical models that are used operationally at NCEP, including the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model and the hurricane WRF model. More recently, she has been leading the global model testbed using the FE3 dynamical core.

Scope and Content Note:
This interview with Ligia Bernardet, conducted by Jinny Nathans, AMS archivist, on June 7th, 2018, provides a detailed account of Bernardet's career trajectory and her contributions to the field of meteorology. The interview begins with Bernardet's early life and education in Brazil, her initial interest in history, and her eventual shift to meteorology. Bernardet discusses her first job at the Weather Prediction Center for a sugarcane plantation and the challenges of weather forecasting in Brazil in the late 1980s. She also talks about her move back to São Paulo, her Masters program, and her decision to pursue her PhD at Colorado State University. She shares her experience of working at the weather service headquarters in Brasília, Brazil, where she was part of the first group to install and deploy weather prediction models at the weather service in Brazil and trained forecasters to use those models. Bernardet also discusses her work at the Developmental Testbed Center in Colorado, where she has worked with several numerical models used operationally at NCEP, including the WRF model and the hurricane WRF model. She also talks about her recent work leading the global model testbed using the FE3 dynamical core. The interview also covers Bernardet's reflections on her mentors, her approach to learning, and the importance of forecast verification in her work. She mentions a significant article by Ellen Murphy that influenced her thinking about the value of forecasts. The interview provides valuable insights into Bernardet's career, her contributions to meteorology, and her perspectives on the field. It is a useful resource for those interested in the history of meteorology, weather prediction, and the career paths of women in science.