We are a committed team of engineers, scientists, and applied and computational mathematicians working toward a common goal of developing an Earth system model capable of accurate and precise climate predictions.

Our Team
Science and Engineering Team
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Anima Anandkumar
Machine Learning
Anima Anandkumar
Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Caltech
- Ph.D., Cornell University, 2009
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Sajjad Azimi
Atmosphere Processes
Sajjad Azimi
Postdoc, Caltech
- Ph.D., EPFL, 2020
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Dynamical systems approach to turbulence
- Modeling cloud microphysics
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Eviatar Bach
Data Assimilation/Machine Learning
Eviatar Bach
Postdoc, Caltech
- Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park, 2021
- Data assimilation, climate dynamics, predictability, and dynamical systems
- Foster and Coco Stanback Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Environmental Science and Engineering
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Valeria Barra
Atmosphere Core/Software Engineering
Valeria Barra
Research Software Engineer, Caltech
- Ph.D., NJIT, 2018
- Computational mathematics and high-performance scientific computing
- Numerical methods for PDEs
- Computational fluid dynamics
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Jordan Benjamin
Atmosphere Processes
Jordan Benjamin
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.S., MIT, 2019
- Clouds, microphysics, turbulence, and convection
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Siddhartha Bishnu
Ocean Processes
Siddhartha Bishnu
Postdoc, MIT
- Ph.D., Florida State University, 2021
- High-Order Methods
- Time Integrators
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Ocean Model Development
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A. Anthony Bloom
Land Model
A. Anthony Bloom
Research Scientist, JPL
- Ph.D., University of Edinburgh, 2013
- Land biosphere model-data integration
- Terrestrial ecosystem carbon-climate feedbacks
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Dave Bonan
Atmosphere Processes
Dave Bonan
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.S., University of Washington, 2019
- Climate dynamics, sea ice, ocean overturning, feedbacks
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Gabriele Bozzola
Software Engineering
Gabriele Bozzola
Software Engineer, Caltech
- PhD, University of Arizona, 2023
- High-performance computing, numerical methods, computational fluid dynamics
- Research software engineering
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Renato Braghiere
Land Model
Renato Braghiere
Research Scientist, Caltech
- Ph.D., University of Reading, 2018
- Land Surface Modeling, radiative transfer theory, and biosphere-atmosphere interactions
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Simon Byrne
Software Engineering
Simon Byrne
Lead Software Engineer, Caltech
- Ph.D., University of Cambridge, 2011
- Management of large and distributed software projects
- High-performance computing
- Statistics and machine learning
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Jean-Michel Campin
Ocean Core
Jean-Michel Campin
Research Scientist, MIT
- Ph.D., Université catholique de Louvain, 1997
- Computational fluid dynamics and ocean modelling; extensive experience developing ocean, sea-ice and atmospheric models
- Co-developer of the MITgcm ocean model
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Andy Charbonneau
Land Model
Andy Charbonneau
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.A., Princeton University, 2020
- Learning from data and AI
- Land model development (snow)
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Costa Christopoulos
Atmosphere Processes
Costa Christopoulos
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.S., MIT, 2017
- Clouds and convection
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Valentin Churavy
Software Engineering
Valentin Churavy
Graduate Student, MIT
- B.Sc., University Osnabrück, Germany, 2015; M.Sc., MIT, 2019
- Compiler research for heterogenous high-performance computing
- Julia language development
- Distributed and accelerated computing for high-level programming languages
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Navid Constantinou
Ocean Processes
Navid Constantinou
Research Fellow, Australian National University
- Ph.D., National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 2015
- Dynamics of large-scale ocean circulation and mesoscale eddies
- Recipient of NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2015; Recipient of Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, 2021
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Emily de Jong
Atmosphere Processes
Emily de Jong
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.S.E., Princeton University, 2019
- Aerosol indirect effects
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Mauricio de Moura Lima
Land Model
Mauricio de Moura Lima
Visiting Student Researcher, Caltech
- M.Sc., Ecole Polytechnique, expected 2024
- River model development
- Learning from data and AI
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Katherine Deck
Land Model
Katherine Deck
Senior Research Scientist, Caltech
- Ph.D., MIT, 2014
- Evolution of dynamical systems
- Inverse problems and learning from data
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Oliver Dunbar
Data Assimilation/Machine Learning
Oliver Dunbar
Research Scientist, Caltech
- Ph.D., University of Warwick, 2017
- Experimental design approaches for optimal placement of high-resolution simulations
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Nat Efrat-Henrici
Software Engineering
Nat Efrat-Henrici
Schmidt Scholar, Caltech
- B.S., Computer Science, Harvey Mudd College, 2021
- Software engineering
- Microphysics
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Haakon Ervik
Atmosphere Processes/Data Assimilation
Haakon Ervik
Graduate Student, Caltech
- M.Sc., University of Bergen, 2020
- Subgrid-scale modeling for atmospheric turbulence, convection and clouds
- Inverse problems, stochastic modeling, and learning from data
- Recipient of Aker Scholarship and Fulbright Fellowship
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Ryan Eusebi
Atmosphere Processes
Ryan Eusebi
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.S., Princeton University, 2022
- Large-scale atmospheric processes, climate dynamics and extremes, climate modeling
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Raffaele Ferrari
Ocean Core and Processes
Raffaele Ferrari
Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Oceanography; Director of the Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate, MIT
- Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 2000
- Theories of ocean turbulence and its impact on biogeochemistry and present/past climates
- Recipient of the Nicholas P. Fofonoff Award (American Meteorological Society), Robert L. and Bettie P. Cody Award (Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
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Christian Frankenberg
Land/Biosphere
Christian Frankenberg
Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, Caltech; Research Scientist, JPL
- Ph.D., Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, 2005
- Carbon cycle; atmospheric CO2 and methane; space-based measurements of the biosphere
- Recipient of Macelwane Medal (AGU). AGU Fellow. NASA Early Career Achievement Medal
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Basile Gallet
Ocean Processes
Basile Gallet
Researcher, CEA Saclay, France
- Ph.D., Physics, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, 2011
- Radiatively driven convection, wave-mean flow interactions, asymptotic methods in geophysical fluid dynamics
- Recipient of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Distinguished Scholar Award (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
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M. Geogdzhayeva
Ocean Core
M. Geogdzhayeva
Student Researcher, MIT
- B.S., MIT, expected 2024
- Data assimilation for geophysical modeling
- Climate and weather extremes
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Chris Hill
Ocean Core
Chris Hill
Principal Research Engineer, MIT
- Climate modeling, high-performance parallel computing
- Architect of the widely used MITgcm ocean model and Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF)
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Anna Jaruga
Atmosphere Processes
Anna Jaruga
Senior Research Scientist, Caltech
- Ph.D., University of Warsaw, 2017
- Cloud microphysics and cloud-aerosol interactions
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Sriharsha Kandala
Software Engineering
Sriharsha Kandala
Research Software Engineer, Caltech
- PhD., Illinois Institute of Technology, 2015
- Computational fluid dynamics and High-performance computing
- Software development
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Charles Kawczynski
Software Engineering
Charles Kawczynski
Senior Software Engineer, Caltech
- Ph.D., UCLA, 2018
- Computational fluid dynamics and magnetohydrodynamics
- High-performance computing, machine learning
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Polina Khapikova
Atmosphere Processes
Polina Khapikova
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.S., UC Davis, 2019
- Atmospheric and climate dynamics, climate extremes
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Oswald Knoth
Atmosphere Core
Oswald Knoth
Senior Scientist, TROPOS
- Ph.D., University of Halle, 1983
- Numerical methods for weather prediction
- Multirate time integration methods
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Amy Lu
Atmosphere Processes
Amy Lu
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.S., UC Riverside, 2022
- Cloud microphysics
- Effect of aerosols on climate
- Aerosol-cloud interactions
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Shuang Ma
Land Model
Shuang Ma
Postdoc, JPL
- Ph.D., Northern Arizona University, 2019
- Terrestrial carbon cycle
- Representation of natural wetland methane emission in land system models
- Representation of below ground carbon cycle in land system models
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John Marshall
Ocean Core and Processes
John Marshall
Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Oceanography; Director Climate Modeling Initiative, MIT
- Ph.D., Imperial College, 1980
- Ocean circulation theory; coupled dynamics of atmosphere and oceans; parameterization of ocean processes
- Architect of the widely used MITgcm ocean model
- Recipient of L.F. Richardson Prize (Royal Meteorological Society), Sverdrup Gold Medal and Bernhard Haurwitz Prize (both American Meteorological Society). Fellow of the Royal Society.
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Nicholas Nelsen
Data Assimilation/Machine Learning
Nicholas Nelsen
Graduate Student, Caltech
- M.Sc., Caltech, 2020
- Emulation of high-dimensional input-output maps
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Lenka Novak
Atmosphere Processes
Lenka Novak
Senior Research Scientist, Caltech
- Ph.D., University of Reading, 2016
- Large-scale atmosphere dynamics; storm track dynamics
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Grace O’Neil
Atmosphere Processes
Grace O’Neil
Graduate Student, MIT
- M.A., Columbia University, 2020
- Atmospheric Dynamics
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Ronak Patel
Atmosphere Processes
Ronak Patel
Graduate Student, Caltech
- B.S., North Carolina State University, 2021
- Climate Extremes
- Atmosphere/Climate Dynamics
- Land-atmosphere interactions
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Ali Ramadhan
Ocean Processes
Ali Ramadhan
Graduate Student, MIT
- M.S., University of Waterloo, 2017
- Atmosphere-ocean-cryosphere dynamics; biophysical ocean interactions
- High-performance computing and ocean model development
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Alexandre A. Renchon
Land Model
Alexandre A. Renchon
Postdoc, Caltech
- Ph.D., Western Sydney University, 2019
- Land-atmosphere exchanges: measurements & modeling
- Dynamic web apps
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Tapio Schneider
Atmosphere Processes
Tapio Schneider
Theodore Y. Wu Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, Caltech; Senior Research Scientist, JPL
- Ph.D., Princeton University, 2001
- Dynamics of atmospheres and climate changes, including changes in clouds, storminess, and extreme precipitation
- Named one of “20 Best Brains Under 40” (Discover Magazine), David and Lucile Packard Fellow, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.
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Zhaoyi Shen
Atmosphere Processes
Zhaoyi Shen
Senior Research Scientist, Caltech
- Ph.D., Princeton University, 2018
- Climate dynamics and aerosol-climate interactions
- Cloud dynamics and feedbacks
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Simone Silvestri
Ocean Processes
Simone Silvestri
Postdoc, MIT
- Ph.D., Delft University of Technology, 2021
- Computational fluid dynamics, turbulent heat transfer, large scale high fidelity simulations
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Julia Sloan
Software Engineering
Julia Sloan
Schmidt Scholar, Caltech
- B.S. Computer Science, Caltech, 2022
- Software design and development
- High-performance computing and parallelization
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Andre Souza
Ocean Processes
Andre Souza
Research Scientist, MIT
- Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2016
- Optimal control and scientific computing; turbulent heat transport theory and rare events in dynamical systems
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Akshay Sridhar
Atmosphere Processes
Akshay Sridhar
Research Scientist, Caltech
- Ph.D., Caltech, 2018
- Subgrid-scale modelling of atmospheric turbulence and clouds
- Numerical techniques in earth-system modeling/high-performance computing
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Andrew Stuart
Data Assimilation/Machine Learning
Andrew Stuart
Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Caltech
- Ph.D., University of Oxford, 1986
- Bayesian learning and optimal combination of mechanistic models with data; data assimilation, inverse problems, and stochastic modeling
- Recipient of James Wilkinson Prize in Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing (SIAM), J. D. Crawford Prize (SIAM), Wolfson Research Merit Award (Royal Society)
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Paul Ullrich
Atmosphere Core
Paul Ullrich
Professor, UC Davis
- Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2011
- Numerical methods for global atmospheric models
- Global model evaluation
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Gregory Wagner
Ocean Processes
Gregory Wagner
Research Scientist, MIT
- Ph.D., UC San Diego, 2016
- Dynamics of waves and small-scale mixing in oceans
- Recipient of NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship
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Yujie Wang
Land Model
Yujie Wang
Postdoc, Caltech
- PhD, University of Utah, 2020
- Model development
- Leaf gas exchange
- Plant acclimation to the climate
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Ryan Ward
Atmosphere Processes
Ryan Ward
Graduate Student, Caltech
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Dennis Yatunin
Software Engineering
Dennis Yatunin
Software Engineer, Caltech
- B.S., Caltech, 2020
- High-performance computing and numerical methods
Project Management and Coordination
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Cheikh Mbengue
Project Management, Product Development and Public Outreach
Cheikh Mbengue
CliMA Project Manager
- Ph.D., Caltech, 2015
- Atmospheric Dynamics and Predictability, Chaotic Systems, Climate modeling, Climate-Change Dynamics and Impacts, Climate and Society
- 2006 Rhodes Scholar
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Leilani Rivera-Dotson
Program Coordination, Research Administration
Leilani Rivera-Dotson
CliMA Program Coordinator, Caltech
- B.A., UH Mānoa, 2005
- Higher education and research administrative support
- Facilities management
- Meeting and event planning
- Outreach support
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Ashlee Zhang
Finance
Ashlee Zhang
CliMA Finance Assistant; Grants Manager, Caltech
- B.A., UC San Diego, 2014
- Financial management
- Financial forecasting and budgeting