Research Staff

Cory Baggett

• Ph.D. in Meteorology – 2016 – Pennsylvania State University – University Park, PA
• Researcher with Assistant Professor Elizabeth Barnes and Professor Eric Maloney
• Research focuses on using tropical variability to improve subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasts of atmospheric rivers and blocking

Emily (Qijing) Bian

• Ph.D. in Environmental Science – 2011 – Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – Pokfulam, Hong Kong
• Researcher with Professor Sonia Kreidenweis and Professor Jeff Collett
• Research focuses on source apportionment of air pollutants using statistical approaches

Brittany Bloodhart

• Ph.D. in Psychology and Women’s Studies – 2013 – Pennsylvania State University – University Park, PA
• Researcher with Assistant Professor Emily Fischer
• Research on attitudes about social justice, focusing on gender and racial bias in science and on climate change communication

Maria Hakuba

• Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences – 2015 – ETH Zurich – Zurich, Switzerland
• Researcher with Professor Emeritus Graeme Stephens
• Research focuses on the hemispheric energy budgets and transport of heat involving ocean and satellite measurements

Scott Powell

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences – 2016 – University of Washington – Seattle, WA
• Researcher with Professor Eric Maloney
• Research focuses on the interaction between large-scale and cloud-scale tropical dynamics; MJO convective onset

Gregg Schill

• Ph.D. in Chemistry – 2014 – University of Colorado – Boulder, CO
• Researcher with Professor Sonia Kreidenweis and Paul DeMott
• Research focuses on determining the sources and identity of ice nucleating particles from diesel exhaust, biomass burning, and sea-spray aerosol

Rachel Storer

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2012 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Emeritus Professor Graeme Stephens
• Research focuses on using models to help understand deep convection and its interaction with the environment

Jun Uetake

• Ph.D. in Science – 2007 – Tokyo Institute of Technology – Tokyo, Japan
• Researcher with Professor Sonia Kreidenweis and Paul DeMott
• Research focuses on bioaerosol using DNA sequencing approaches

Juliet Zhu

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering – 2014 – University of Colorado – Boulder, CO
• Researcher with Assistant Professor Emily Fischer
• Constraining the global ozone budget through the analysis of new peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) observations from TES

Ian Baker — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Ecology – 2011 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Professor Scott Denning and Professor Dave Randall
• Understanding the exchange of mass, energy, moisture, momentum and trace gases between the atmosphere and land; studying the carbon cycle and vegetation response to current and future climate

Katie Benedict — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D in Atmospheric Science – 2012 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Professor Jeff Collett
• Measuring atmospheric nitrogen species and nitrogen deposition in national parks to understand the sources of nitrogen in these protected areas

Wes Berg — Senior Research Scientist

• Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering through a program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences – 1993 – University of Colorado – Boulder, CO
• Researcher with Professor Chris Kummerow
• The study of large-scale hydrologic processes with a focus on long-term climate applications and the development of climate data records using satellite observations

Paula Brown — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Geography and Statistics – 2007 – University of Otago-Dunedin, New Zealand
• Researcher with Professor Chris Kummerow
• Understanding changes in atmospheric moisture and its role in global moisture budgets

Melissa Burt — Research Scientist, Education & Diversity Manager

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2016 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Professor David Randall
• Understanding the effects of clouds and radiation on Arctic climate

Minoru Chikira — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Science – 2004 – The University of Tokyo – Tokyo, Japan
• Researcher with Professor Dave Randall
• Improving cumulus parameterizations based on sound physical grounds to better simulate mean state and variability in the atmosphere

Charlotte DeMott — Research Scientist III

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 1996 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Professor Dave Randall
• Understanding processes responsible for the existence of tropical weather variability on 30-60 day timescales, and how those processes are represented (or not) in general circulation models

Paul DeMott — Senior Research Scientist

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 1990 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Professor Sonia Kreidenweis
• Understanding how the physical, chemical, and biological makeup of certain aerosols of natural and anthropogenic origin influence the formation of ice crystals (precursors of precipitation) in clouds

Brenda Dolan — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2009 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Professor Steve Rutledge
• Using remote sensing, primarily polarimetric radar at multiple wavelengths, to understand cloud processes and microphysics under a variety of regimes, including tropical and mid-latitude locations, winter and severe storms, and oceanic to complex terrain locations

Bonne Ford — Research Scientist I

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2014 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Associate Professor Jeff Pierce
• Using chemical transport models and satellite observations to understand air quality

Katherine Haynes — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2008 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Professor Scott Denning
• Using a land surface model combined with a wide variety of observations to understand the biosphere, land-atmosphere interactions, and the carbon cycle

Arsineh Hecobian — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences – 2010 – Georgia Institute of Technology – Atlanta, GA
• Researcher with Professor Jeff Collett
• Characterizing the emissions from the different processes involved in the production of natural gas

Ross Heikes — Research Scientist III

• Ph.D.
• Researcher with Professor Dave Randall
• Research Focus – TBA

Tom Hill — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D.in Molecular Microbial Ecology – 1995 – University of East London – United Kingdom
• Researcher with Professor Sonia Kreidenweis
• Gaining a deeper understanding of the sources, numbers and identities of ice nucleating particles—especially, biological ice nuclei-released by terrestrial and marine ecotypes

Joon-Hee Jung — Research Scientist III

• Ph.D. in Meteorology – 1997 – Yonsei University – Seoul, Korea
• Researcher with Professor Dave Randall
• Developing a new generation of the multi-scale modeling framework of atmospheric processes

Philip Klotzbach — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2007 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Emeritus Professor Bill Gray
• Atlantic hurricanes, from intra-annual to multi-decadel variablilty timescales

Celal Konor — Research Scientist III

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 1992 – UCLA – Los Angeles, CA
• Researcher with Professor Dave Randall
• Nonhydrostatic global cloud resolving model development; climate model development and extratropical cyclogenesis

Ezra Levin — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2013 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Dr. Paul DeMott and Professor Sonia Kreidenweis
• Measuring atmospheric ice nuclei concentrations and the potential role of black carbon as an ice nuclei

Ying Li — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences – 2011 – Princeton University – Princeton, NJ
• Researcher with Professor Dave Thompson
• Understanding the physical processes that govern various atmospheric phenomena to better interpret changes within a varying climate

Ilana Pollack — Research Scientist I

• Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry – 2004 – University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA
• Researcher with Emily Fischer
• Ilana’s research endeavors have largely focused on tropospheric oxidant cycling relevant to air quality, with specific interests in quantifying long-term trends and weekend effects in ozone and its precursors, identifying precursor emissions sources, and understanding the effects of local emissions controls on the formation of ozone and other secondary pollutants.

Dave Randel — Research Scientist III

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 1990 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Researcher with Professor Chris Kummerow
• Research involves developing satellite microwave radiometer retrieval algorithms and long-term climatologies for global hydrologic cycle monitoring and study

Emily Riley Dellaripa — Research Scientist I

• Ph.D. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography – 2013 – University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science – Miami, FL
• Researcher with Professor Eric Maloney and Associate Professor Sue van den Heever
• Research in convective mesoscale organization in the tropics with a particular focus on the Madden-Julian Oscillation in order to improve the representation of deep convection in climate models

Amy Sullivan — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Chemistry – 2006 – Georgia Institute of Technology – Atlanta, GA
• Researcher with Professor Jeff Collett
• Examining the composition of organic aerosols, with a particular focus on biomass burning and secondary organic aerosols

Weixin Xu — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2011 – University of Utah – Salt Lake City, UT
• Researcher with Professor Steven Rutledge
• Observing and understanding clouds, precipitation, and severe weathers in the tropics using satellite and radar remote sensing

Yong Zhou — Research Scientist II

• Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Science – 2006 – University of New Hampshire – Durham, NH
• Researcher with Professor Jeff Collett
• Focus on analytical techniques for studying volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere

Travis Ashby — Research Associate II

• M.S. in Atmospheric Science – 2001 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Emeritus Professor Bill Cotton
• Cloud microphysics and dynamics, tropical and severe storm meteorology

Becky Bolinger — Research Associate

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science – 2014 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doesken
• Climate variability, seasonal climate prediction, drought monitoring, the climate and hydrologic cycle of Colorado, climate communication and services for Colorado

Kelley Branson — Senior Research Associate

• B.S. in Computer Science – 1985 – University of California-Riverside – Riverside, CA
• Research Associate with Professor Dave Randall. Also responsible for computer services for Associate Professor Eric Maloney, Professor Scott Denning and provides assistance to all professors who have CMMAP ties
• Computer admin. for Professor Dave Randall and CMMAP

Mark Branson — Research Associate IV

• M.S. in Atmospheric Science – 1991 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Professor Dave Randall
• Focus on general circulation modeling

Paul Ciesielski — Senior Research Associate

• M.S. in Atmospheric Science – 1980 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Professor Wayne Schubert (1983-Present) and Professor Richard Johnson (1991-Present). Previous Research Associate with Professor Emeritus Elmar Reiter (1977-1980), Professor Tom VonderHaar (1980-1982) and Professor Duane Stevens (1980-1991)
• Analysis and modeling of tropical phenomena; monsoon studies, quality control of sounding data

Don Dazlich — Senior Research Associate

• M.S. in Meteorology – 1982 – University of Maryland – College Park, MD
• Research Associate with Professor Dave Randall
• Numerical modeling of cloud systems and climate

Nolan Doesken — Colorado State Climatologist

• M.S. in Atmospheric Science – 1976 – University of Illinois – Champaign-Urbana, IL
• Colorado State Climatologist at the Colorado Climate Center (Formerly worked with Emeritus Professor Tom McKee: 1977-1999 and Emeritus Professor Roger Pielke: 2000-2006)
• Concentration in climate monitoring and long-term climate trends, with a particular focus on precipitation to include floods and droughts. Interested in any and all aspects of Colorado climate.

Mostafa Elkady — Research Associate IV

• M.S. in Civil Engineering – 1995 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Professor Dave Randall
• System administrator

Jim George — Research Associate III

• M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering – 2008 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Professor Steven Rutledge. Previous Research Assistant at ECE with Professor V. Chandrasekar and Emeritus Professor V. N. Bringi
• Radar Engineer responsible for the CSU-CHILL weather radar. Research focus in radar system engineering, RF and microwave hardware, and digital signal processing

Peter Goble — Research Associate II

• M.S. in Atmospheric Science – 2016 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doesken
• Concentration in collecting data and monitoring Colorado’s climate with an emphasis on drought preparedness and mitigation

Paul Hein — Senior Research Associate

• M.S. in Atmospheric Science – 1986 – University of Washington – Seattle, WA
• Research Associate with Professor Steve Rutledge
• Research concentration: radar meteorology

Stephen Herbener — Research Associate II

• M.S. in Electrical Engineering – 1985 – University of Illinois, Urbana – Champaign, IL
• Research Associate with Associate Professor Sue van den Heever
• Research in cloud physics and cloud dynamics

Pat Kennedy — Senior Research Associate

• M.S. in Meteorology – 1983 – University Oklahoma – Norman, OK
• Research Associate with Professor Steve Rutledge, Professor Emeritus V. N. Bringi, and Professor V. Chandrasekar
• CSU-CHILL Radar Facility Manager

Noah Newman — Coordinator

• B.S. in Liberal Arts – 1997 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doesken
• Climate education and outreach

Steve Saleeby — Research Associate IV

• M.S. in Atmospheric Science – 2000 – North Carolina State University – Raleigh, NC
• Research Associate with Associate Professor Sue van den Heever (2010-present) and previously Professor Bill Cotton (2000-2012)
• Numerical modeling and development

Zach Schwalbe — Research Associate II

• B.S. in Watershed Science – 2007 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doesken
• Responsibilities include the CoCoRaHS Help Desk and a focus on data analysis collected from climate stations around Colorado for presentations

Rick Taft — Senior Research Associate

• M.S. in Mathematics – 1987 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Professor Wayne Schubert and Professor Dick Johnson, previously with Emeritus Professor Bill Gray and Professor Michael Montgomery, along with Professor Wayne Schubert and Professor Dick Johnson during the 1990s.
• Provider of computer, math and data support to members of the Schubert and Johnson research groups. Research interests in numerical programming and scientific visualization

Julian Turner — Research Associate III

• B.A. in Environmental Studies – 1999 – University of Colorado – Boulder, CO
• Research Associate with Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doesken
• Web developer and database administrator for the CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow) Network

Matthew Bishop — Research Associate III

• B.S. in Computer Science – 2002 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Assistant Professor Elizabeth Barnes, Assistant Professor Thomas Birner, Professor Bill Cotton, Professor Scott Denning, Assistant Professor Emily Fischer, Associate Professor Eric Maloney, Assistant Professor Jeff Pierce, Assistant Professor Russ Schumacher, and Associate Professor Sue van den Heever
• Computer support with an emphasis on software configuration, debugging and maintaining old codes

Steve Heller — Computing Support Specialist

• B.S. in Accounting – 1990 – Le Moyne College – Syracuse, NY
• First- and second-tier hardware and software support of computers, workstations, and server sessions; mobile computing devices including notebook computers, tablet computers, and smart phones; and computer peripherals such as printers
• Expert assistance in the installation and configuration of third-party software
• Assist individual clients and the organization in evaluating and selecting the appropriate computer hardware and software resources to meet their specific computing needs

Bruno Melli — Software Engineer

• M.S. in Computer Science – 1996 – National Technological University – Fort Collins, CO
• Software engineer with Michael Bell’s group
• Developing common software for the LIDAR, RADAR, and PROFILER community on the LROSE project: eol.ucar.edu/content/lidar-radar-open-software-environment

Ammon Redman — Research Associate III

• M.S. in Business and Computer Information Systems – 2010 – Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
• Research Associate with Associate Professor Sue van den Heever, Assistant Professor Russ Schumacher, Assistant Professor Thomas Birner, Assistant Professor Elizabeth Barnes, Assistant Professor Emily Fischer, Professor Bill Cotton, Assistant Professor Jeff Pierce, Professor Scott Denning, Associate Professor Eric Maloney and the Dept. of Atmospheric Science
• IT support