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

  • Olivia Alcabes

    Atmosphere Processes

    Olivia Alcabes

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.A., University of Chicago, 2021
    • cloud microphysics
    • remote sensing

  • Sajjad Azimi

    Atmosphere Processes

    Sajjad Azimi

    Research Scientist, Caltech

    • Ph.D., EPFL, 2020
    • Computational fluid dynamics
    • Dynamical systems approach to turbulence
    • Modeling cloud microphysics
  • headshot photo of Pete Bachant

    Pete Bachant

    Software Engineering

    Pete Bachant

    Senior Research Software Engineer

    • PhD, University of New Hampshire, 2016
    • Computational fluid dynamics
    • Software architecture and engineering
    • Automation and reproducibility

  • Jordan Benjamin

    Atmosphere Processes

    Jordan Benjamin

    Graduate Student, Caltech

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

  • 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

  • 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)
  • headshot picture of Ray Chew

    Ray Chew

    Atmosphere Processes

    Ray Chew

    Postdoc, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Free University of Berlin, 2022
    • Atmospheric model development
    • Numerical and computational fluid dynamics
    • Data assimilation

  • Costa Christopoulos

    Atmosphere Processes

    Costa Christopoulos

    Research Scientist, Caltech

    • PhD, Caltech, 2024
    • Clouds and convection
  • 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

  • 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

    Senior Research Scientist, Caltech

    • Ph.D., University of Warwick, 2017
    • Data assimilation and machine learning
    • Experimental design approaches for optimal placement of high-resolution simulations
  • headshot of Nat Efrat-Henrici

    Nat Efrat-Henrici

    Software Engineering

    Nat Efrat-Henrici

    Software Engineer, Caltech

    • B.S., Harvey Mudd College, 2021
    • Software engineering
    • Microphysics
  • picture of Ryan Eusebi

    Ryan Eusebi

    Atmosphere Processes

    Ryan Eusebi

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S., Princeton University, 2022
    • Large-scale atmospheric processes, climate dynamics and extremes, climate modeling

  • 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, co-PI

    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)

  • 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

  • Anna Jaruga

    Atmosphere Processes

    Anna Jaruga

    Senior Research Scientist, Caltech

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

  • Oswald Knoth

    Atmosphere Core

    Oswald Knoth

    Senior Scientist, TROPOS

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

    Jon Lauderdale

    Ocean Processes

    Jon Lauderdale

    Research Scientist, MIT

    • PhD, University of Southampton, 2011
    • Ocean biogeochemical modelling
  • headshot photo of Xin Kai Lee

    Xin Kai Lee

    Ocean Processes

    Xin Kai Lee

    Graduate Student, MIT

    • MSci, Imperial College London, 2022
    • Ocean Turbulence Modeling and Dynamics
    • Scientific Machine Learning
  • headshot photo of Hengdi Liang

    Hengdi Liang

    Ocean Processes

    Hengdi Liang

    Postdoc, Carnegie Science

    • PhD, University of Southern California, 2023
    • Numerical models of the Earth system
    • Ocean biogeochemical cycles

  • 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.

  • Grace O’Neil

    Atmosphere Processes

    Grace O’Neil

    Graduate Student, MIT

    • M.A., Columbia University, 2020
    • Atmospheric Dynamics
  • picture of Ronak Patel

    Ronak Patel

    Atmosphere Processes

    Ronak Patel

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.S., North Carolina State University, 2021
    • Climate Extremes
    • Atmosphere/Climate Dynamics
    • Land-atmosphere interactions
  • KPhan headshot photo

    Kevin Phan

    Software Engineering

    Kevin Phan

    Schmidt Scholar, Caltech

    • B.S., Harvey Mudd College, 2024
    • Software Engineering
  • TReddy headshot photo

    Teja Reddy

    Software Engineering

    Teja Reddy

    Schmidt Scholar, Caltech

    • B.S., Harvey Mudd College, 2024
    • Computer Systems
    • Parallel Computing
  • Alexandre A. Renchon

    Alexandre A. Renchon

    Land Model

    Alexandre A. Renchon

    Research Software Engineer, Caltech

    • Ph.D., Western Sydney University, 2019
    • Land-atmosphere exchanges: measurements & modeling
    • Dynamic web apps
  • profile photo of Dave Rumph

    Dave Rumph

    Software Engineering

    Dave Rumph

    Senior Software Engineer, Caltech

    • B.S. Caltech 1980, M.A. Fuller 1996
    • Software engineering and performance improvement
  • Julian Schmitt headshot picture

    Julian Schmitt

    Atmosphere Processes/Data Assimilation

    Julian Schmitt

    Graduate Student, Caltech

    • B.A., Harvard, 2023
    • Data assimilation and machine learning
    • Cryosphere and stochastic processes

  • Tapio Schneider

    Atmosphere Processes, Lead PI

    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.

  • 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

  • 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
  • Julia Sloan

    Julia Sloan

    Software Engineering

    Julia Sloan

    Software Engineer, Caltech

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

  • Akshay Sridhar

    Atmosphere Processes

    Akshay Sridhar

    Senior Research Scientist, 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)

  • 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

  • Dennis Yatunin

    Software Engineering

    Dennis Yatunin

    Senior Software Engineer, Caltech

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

Project Management and Coordination

  • Raffaele Ferrari

    Ocean Core and Processes, co-PI

    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)

  • 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

  • Tapio Schneider

    Atmosphere Processes, Lead PI

    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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