Fey Silva Vidal
Fey Yamina Silva Vidal is a Peruvian meteorologist and the first woman in Peru to earn a PhD in Physical-Mathematical Sciences. She has conducted pioneering research on climate variability and the El Niño phenomenon, contributing to advances in climate prediction and variability modelling, particularly in the Peruvian Andes. Her research has enhanced scientific understanding of atmospheric processes and provided critical data to support climate change adaptation efforts.
Silva Vidal has held several public positions, including serving as Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources at the Ministry of Environment in 2022, and as Director of the Geophysical Institute of Peru. She currently works as a lead researcher at the IGP, where she directs a research initiative focused on understanding the physical, dynamic, and microphysical processes that drive climate variability in the Andes.
Her scientific contributions have been acknowledged by the National Council of Science, Technology, and Innovation. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Pro-Women in Science, Technology, and Innovation Committee, serving as its president during the 2023–2024 term.
Biography
Early life
At the age of 12, Silva Vidal's family relocated to Lima due to increasing violence and insecurity in the Monzón Valley, which had become a focal point of terrorist activity and drug trafficking. From an early age, she showed an interest in meteorological phenomena, particularly in understanding the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on Peru.Education
After completing high school, she received a scholarship from the National Institute of Scholarships and Educational Credit to pursue studies in meteorology at the Russian State Hydrometeorological University. She earned both a master's degree and a PhD in Physical-Mathematical Sciences, completing her doctorate in 1992. Her academic research focused on the physical and dynamic processes of the atmosphere, using meteorological models and radar systems to analyse the underlying causes of climate variability and extreme weather phenomena.Career
After spending 13 years abroad, Silva Vidal returned to Peru in 1998 as the country's first female meteorologist to hold a doctoral degree. She joined Dr. Pablo Lagos at the Geophysical Institute of Peru to develop a predictive model for rainfall associated with the El Niño phenomenon, serving as principal scientific researcher. Since her return, she has continued her work at the IGP, focusing on the evaluation of atmospheric conditions in Peru, the analysis of El Niño events, and the study of climate variability in the Andes across multiple temporal scales.Her research has encompassed climate variability, extreme meteorological events, climate change, and atmospheric numerical modelling, leading numerous studies in these areas. Since 2003, she has examined the effects of climate variability in the Peruvian Andes, with particular attention to the Mantaro River basin and its response to climate change. As part of these efforts, she founded the Atmospheric Microphysics and Radiation Laboratory at the Huancayo Geophysical Observatory, strengthening regional capacity for studying atmospheric processes and their environmental implications.
In August 2021, Silva Vidal was appointed Head of the Decentralized Office of the Central Macro Region at the National Institute for Research on Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems. During her tenure, she conducted research on the impacts of climate variability and the retreat of Andean glaciers in Peru, with a particular emphasis on the interaction between atmospheric dynamics and the cryosphere.
From March to December 2022, she served as Vice Minister for Strategic Development of Natural Resources at the Ministry of the Environment. After concluding her tenure at MINAM, she resumed her position at the IGP as principal scientific researcher, a role she continues to hold.
Silva Vidal has over two decades of experience in academia as a university professor specialising in climate change and meteorology. Since 2021, she has lectured on climate change and risk management, and has contributed to the master's programme in Water at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.