Our Team

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.

Science and Engineering Team

  • Anima Anandkumar

    Machine Learning

    Anima Anandkumar

    Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Cornell University, 2009

  • Sajjad Azimi

    Atmosphere Processes

    Sajjad Azimi

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • Ph.D., EPFL, 2020
    • Computational fluid dynamics
    • Dynamical systems approach to turbulence
    • Modeling cloud microphysics

  • 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

  • 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

  • Jordan Benjamin

    Atmosphere Processes

    Jordan Benjamin

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S., MIT, 2019
    • Clouds, microphysics, turbulence, and convection

  • Tobias Bischoff

    Atmosphere Processes

    Tobias Bischoff

    Senior Research Scientist, Caltech

    • PhD., Caltech, 2016
    • Senior Data & Applied Scientist at Microsoft, 2016-2019
    • Subgrid-scale modeling for atmospheric processes
    • Machine learning & AI approaches

  • 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

  • Renato Braghiere

    Land Model

    Renato Braghiere

    Research Scientist, JPL/UCLA

    • Ph.D., University of Reading, 2018
    • Land Surface Modeling, radiative transfer theory, and biosphere-atmosphere interactions

  • Dave Bonan

    Atmosphere Processes

    Dave Bonan

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S., University of Washington, 2019
    • Climate dynamics, sea ice, ocean overturning, feedbacks

  • Dmitry Burov

    Data Assimilation/Machine Learning

    Dmitry Burov

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.Sc., Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 2013
    • Experimental design approaches for optimal placement of high-resolution simulations

  • 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

  • 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

  • Andy Charbonneau

    Land Model

    Andy Charbonneau

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.A., Princeton University, 2020
    • Learning from data and AI
    • Land model development (snow)

  • Costa Christopoulos

    Atmosphere Processes

    Costa Christopoulos

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S., MIT, 2017
    • Clouds and convection

  • 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

  • Yair Cohen

    Atmosphere Processes

    Yair Cohen

    Research Scientist, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2016
    • Process models for atmospheric turbulence, convection, and clouds
  • picture of Navid Constantinou

    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

  • Emily de Jong

    Atmosphere Processes

    Emily de Jong

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S.E., Princeton University, 2019
    • Aerosol indirect effects

  • Katherine Deck

    Land Model

    Katherine Deck

    Senior Research Scientist, Caltech

    • Ph.D., MIT, 2014
    • Evolution of dynamical systems
    • Inverse problems and learning from data

  • Oliver Dunbar

    Data Assimilation/Machine Learning

    Oliver Dunbar

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • Ph.D., University of Warwick, 2017
    • Experimental design approaches for optimal placement of high-resolution simulations

  • Alan Edelman

    Software Engineering

    Alan Edelman

    Professor of Applied Mathematics Computer Science, MIT

    • Ph.D., MIT, 1989
    • Software for high-performance computing, numerical linear algebra, random matrix theory
    • Recipient of the Gordon Bell Prize and Householder Prize (1990), Chauvenet Prize (1998), Edgerly Science Partnership Award (1999), SIAM Activity Group on Linear Algebra Prize (2000), and Lester R. Ford Award (2005, with Gilbert Strang).

  • 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

  • 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)

  • Kristen Fahy

    Land Model

    Kristen Fahy

    Science Systems Engineer, JPL

    • M.Ed./B.S – Rutgers University, 2015
    • Using systems engineering practices and tools to optimize efficiency for climate modelling projects, including project management tasks with the CliMA land model component at JPL.

  • 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

  • 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)

  • Anna Gagné-Landmann

    Land Model

    Anna Gagné-Landmann

    Visiting Student Researcher, Caltech

    • B.Sc., Polytechnique Montreal, 2018
    • Land surface processes
  • picture of Masha Geogdzhayeva

    Maria Geogdzhayeva

    Ocean Core

    Maria Geogdzhayeva

    Student Researcher, MIT

    • B.S., MIT, expected 2024
    • Data assimilation for geophysical modeling
    • Climate and weather extremes

  • Jia He

    Atmosphere Processes

    Jia He

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Georgia Tech, 2017
    • Atmosphere dynamics; machine learning for weather prediction
    • Parameterization of atmospheric turbulence, convection, and clouds

  • 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)

  • Adeline Hillier

    Ocean Processes

    Adeline Hillier

    Student Researcher, MIT

    • Machine learning
    • Parameterization of ocean convection

  • Mike Howland

    Atmosphere Processes/Data Assimilation

    Mike Howland

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Stanford University, 2020
    • Data assimilation
    • Atmospheric flow physics

  • Daniel Z. Huang

    Atmosphere Processes/Data Assimilation

    Daniel Z. Huang

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Stanford, 2020
    • Computational mathematics
    • Multiphysics
    • Machine Learning

  • Anna Jaruga

    Atmosphere Processes

    Anna Jaruga

    Research Scientist, Caltech

    • Ph.D., University of Warsaw, 2017
    • Cloud microphysics and cloud-aerosol interactions

  • 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

  • Charles Kawczynski

    Software Engineering

    Charles Kawczynski

    Senior Software Engineer, Caltech

    • Ph.D., UCLA, 2018
    • Computational fluid dynamics and magnetohydrodynamics
    • High-performance computing, machine learning

  • Polina Khapikova

    Atmosphere Processes

    Polina Khapikova

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S., UC Davis, 2019
    • Atmospheric and climate dynamics, climate extremes

  • Oswald Knoth

    Atmosphere Core

    Oswald Knoth

    Senior Scientist, TROPOS

    • Ph.D., University of Halle, 1983
    • Numerical methods for weather prediction
    • Multirate time integration methods

  • Paul Levine

    Land Model

    Paul Levine

    Postdoc, JPL

    • Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2019
    • Biosphere-atmosphere transfer processes
    • Water and carbon cycle interactions

  • Zongyi Li

    Machine Learning

    Zongyi Li

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S., Washington University St. Louis, 2015
    • Operator learning
    • Machine learning for scientific computing

  • Ignacio Lopez-Gomez

    Atmosphere Processes

    Ignacio Lopez-Gomez

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • M.Sc., ISAE-SUPAERO, 2018
    • Computational fluid dynamics; process models for atmospheric turbulence, convection, and clouds

  • 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

     

  • Ben Mackay

    Software Engineering

    Ben Mackay

    Schmidt Scholar, Caltech

    • B.S., Caltech, 2020
    • High performance computing
    • Cloud microphysics
    • Stochastic processes

  • 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.

  • Alexander Norton

    Land Model

    Alexander Norton

    Postdoc, JPL

    • Ph.D., University of Melbourne, 2019
    • Terrestrial Carbon Cycling
    • Carbon-Climate Feedbacks
    • Data Assimilation

  • Nicholas Nelsen

    Data Assimilation/Machine Learning

    Nicholas Nelsen

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • M.Sc., Caltech, 2020
    • Emulation of high-dimensional input-output maps

  • Grace O’Neil

    Atmosphere Processes

    Grace O’Neil

    Graduate Student, MIT

    • M.A., Columbia University, 2020
    • Atmospheric Dynamics

  • Lenka Novak

    Atmosphere Processes

    Lenka Novak

    Research Scientist, Caltech

    • Ph.D., University of Reading, 2016
    • Large-scale atmosphere dynamics; storm track dynamics

  • Nicholas Parazoo

    Land Model

    Nicholas Parazoo

    Research Scientist, JPL

    • Ph.D., Colorado State University, 2011
    • Terrestrial carbon cycling
    • Carbon-climate feedbacks
    • Atmospheric Transport

  • 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

  • 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.

  • John Seinfeld

    Atmosphere Processes

    John Seinfeld

    Louis E. Nohl Professor & Professor of Chemical Engineering, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Princeton University, 1967
    • Atmospheric chemistry and physics; aerosols
    • Developer of first numerical model of atmospheric chemistry and air pollution
    • Recipient of Tyler Prizefor Environmental Achievement. Member of the National Academy of Sciences

  • Zhaoyi Shen

    Atmosphere Processes

    Zhaoyi Shen

    Research Scientist, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Princeton University, 2018
    • Climate dynamics and aerosol-climate interactions
    • Cloud dynamics and feedbacks

  • 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

  • Clare Singer

    Atmosphere Processes

    Clare Singer

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S./B.A., University of Chicago, 2018
    • Cloud feedbacks
  • Julia Sloan

    Julia Sloan

    Software Engineering

    Julia Sloan

    Schmidt Scholar, Caltech

    • B.S. Computer Science, Caltech, 2022
    • Software design and development
    • High-performance computing and parallelization

  • 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

  • Akshay Sridhar

    Atmosphere Processes

    Akshay Sridhar

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Caltech, 2018
    • Subgrid-scale modelling of atmospheric turbulence and clouds
    • Numerical techniques in earth-system modeling/high-performance computing

  • 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)

  • Paul Ullrich

    Atmosphere Core

    Paul Ullrich

    Professor, UC Davis

    • Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2011
    • Numerical methods for global atmospheric models
    • Global model evaluation

  • 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

  • Yujie Wang

    Land Model

    Yujie Wang

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • PhD, University of Utah, 2020
    • Model development
    • Leaf gas exchange
    • Plant acclimation to the climate

  • Ryan Ward

    Atmosphere Processes

    Ryan Ward

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S., University of Florida, 2019
    • Aerosol-cloud interactions

  • John Worden

    Land Model

    John Worden

    Principal Scientist, JPL

    • Ph.D., University of Colorado, 1996
    • Remote sensing of atmospheric composition and assimilation of these data into global models for investigating the carbon and water cycle
    • JPL Earth Sciences Section Manager 2014 – 2017
    • NASA Aura TES PI 2010 – 2014

  • Jinlong Wu

    Atmosphere Processes, Data Assimilation/Machine Learning

    Jinlong Wu

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 2018
    • Turbulence modeling
    • Statistical models and machine learning techniques

  • Yan Yang

    Land Model

    Yan Yang

    Postdoc, JPL

    • Ph.D., Boston University, 2017
    • Model development and data assimilation
    • Vegetation remote sensing
    • Statistical analysis and machine learning

  • Dennis Yatunin

    Software Engineering

    Dennis Yatunin

    Schmidt Scholar, Caltech

    • B.S., Caltech, 2020
    • High-performance computing and numerical methods

Project Management and Coordination

  • 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
  • picture of Leilani Rivera-Dotson

    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

  • Ashlee Zhang

    Finance

    Ashlee Zhang

    CliMA Finance Assistant; Grants Manager, Caltech

    • B.A., UC San Diego, 2014
    • Financial management
    • Financial forecasting and budgeting

Funders