ABOUT ME
I am currently a PhD student of Larry Di Girolamo at the University of Illinois in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences.
I completed my undergraduate work at the University of Albany and am originally from Buffalo, NY.
I study clouds and radiation using high resolution models of the atmosphere (LES), Monte Carlo 3D radiative transfer models, and remotely sensed satellite data.
My computationally heavy PhD has led me to gain incredible unanticipated experience on high performance computers like Blue Waters. As I look towards the future I'm excited about carving out a career that is continually pushing the limits of scientific understanding of the interactions between clouds and radiation while also pushing the limits of what's computationally feasible.
EDUCATION
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Atmospheric Radiative Transfer
My PhD research has included developing a 3D, broadband, Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Model to represent high spatial and spectral resolution simulations of solar and thermal radiation transport in earth's atmosphere.
2003 - 2007
University of Albany, magna cum laude
B.S. Atmospheric Science
Certificate in GIS
Large Eddy Simulation of Clouds
The early stage of my PhD involved using a large eddy simulation version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model to simulate trade wind cumulus clouds observed during the RICO and BOMEX field campaigns.
Satellite Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere
During my Master's project I utilized NASA datasets from the MISR, MODIS, and ASTER instruments on board the Terra satellite platform. I developed a pattern recognition algorithm to correct over estimations of regional cloud fraction due to low-spatial-resolution effects.
High Performance Computing
Cutting edge computing resources enable cutting edge science and in-turn cutting edge science informs the design of future computing resources. I'm passionate about advocating for high performance computing and big-data management throughout my career as it has the potential to advance scientific understanding immensely.
2007 - 2010
University of Illinois
M.S. Atmospheric Science
In progress
University of Illinois
Ph.D. Atmospheric Science