Dr Sophie Lewis is the ACT’s newly Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment. She was the 2019 ACT Scientist of the Year. Sophie previously worked in academia where she used climate models, observations and palaeoclimate records to provide a long-term perspective on recent climate change—and has a particular focus on how heatwave events in Australia are changing. Her research has never been more relevant than this year. The Canberrans is a video series and podcast produced by Newcast Studios in collaboration with HerCanberra, Lonsdale St. Studio and Salon Canberra.