Prof. Dr. Ana Bastos is a Research Professor and Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI-BGC) in Germany, affiliated with Leipzig University's Institute for Earth System Science and Remote Sensing. She holds a PhD in Geophysical and Geoinformation Science (2015, U. Lisbon) and a BSc+MSc in Environment and Energy Engineering (2011, U. Lisbon). Her research bridges atmospheric science, ecology, and biogeochemistry to study carbon-cycle dynamics, climate extremes, and ecosystem disturbances. She leads major projects such as the ERC Starting Grant-funded ForExD initiative and contributes to global carbon cycle assessments like RECCAP-2. Key roles include membership in the World Climate Research Programme's Safe Landing Climates initiative and leadership in the ICOS-RI Drought Task Force. She has over 40 international conference presentations and organizes sessions at AGU and EGU meetings. Her awards include the EGU Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award (2022) and the Beutenberg Campus Award (2021). She actively mentors early-career researchers through PhD and postdoc programs focused on forest disturbance modeling and remote sensing applications.
Paul R Moorcroft is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and an Affiliate in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). His research focuses on ecological dynamics of terrestrial plant communities, biosphere-atmosphere interactions, and mechanistic models of animal movement. He collaborates with institutions like NASA JPL on projects such as the ECOSTRESS mission, which investigates environmental processes using satellite data. His lab, the Moorcroft Lab, emphasizes fieldwork and interdisciplinary approaches, as seen in recent collaborations in Italy and Southeast Asia. Key research areas include tropical forest ecology, carbon cycling in peatlands, and the application of remote sensing technologies to environmental monitoring. His work bridges theoretical models with empirical data, addressing global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. Recent publications highlight contributions to quantifying carbon emissions from peatland drainage and improving satellite-based mapping of forest functional traits. His advising activities include mentoring graduate students like Rhemi Toth. Collaborations with NASA and academic partners underscore his role in advancing Earth systems science through interdisciplinary research.
Ben Livneh is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder , affiliated with both the Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Department and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) . As Director of the Western Water Assessment , he bridges academic research with regional climate resilience initiatives. Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Hydrology), University of Washington (2012) MESc in Civil Engineering, University of Western Ontario (2006) His research explores hydrologic responses to climate and land-cover changes , focusing on snowpack dynamics, wildfire impacts on water quality, sediment transport, and drought predictability. Key projects include simulations of montane snowpack for wolverine habitat preservation and post-fire landslide susceptibility analysis . Recent publications highlight continental-scale hydraulic geometry datasets , climate-energy nexus challenges , and global lake level reconstructions using satellite data. His work has been recognized by the AGU Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award (2022) and NASA New Investigator Program (2018) . Scientific Awards AGU Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award (2022) NASA New Investigator Award (2018) Symposium Scholar, DISCCRS VIII (2013) CIRES Visiting Fellowship (2012) Ben leads interdisciplinary collaborations with institutions like the University of Alaska Southeast and NOAA , addressing climate-water-energy-food nexus challenges through advanced modeling and remote sensing techniques.
Gavin McNicol is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). His research focuses on soil biogeochemistry and its connection to Earth’s climate system, particularly methane emissions from wetlands, temperate rainforests, and waste systems. He employs field measurements, laboratory experiments, and data science to study greenhouse gas dynamics across scales. McNicol teaches courses on data science (EAES 420) and climate-ecosystem interactions (EAES 579). His work integrates machine learning with satellite remote sensing to monitor global wetland methane emissions. Key collaborations include FLUXNET-CH4, CRMRCN, and the SOIL NGO in Haiti. McNicol holds a BS from the University of Stirling (2010) and a PhD from UC Berkeley (2016). Research interests span wetland methane budgets, carbon cycling in coastal ecosystems, and climate impacts of sanitation systems. He has secured grants from NASA, DOE, and NSF, totaling over $87,000. His team, the McNicol Lab, emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches combining fieldwork, lab analysis, and computational modeling. Recent publications (2023–2025) address global methane upscaling, tropical wetland monitoring gaps, and boreal-Arctic methane feedbacks. McNicol’s work bridges local measurements to global climate models, with applications in climate change mitigation and sustainable development.
Richard E. Turner is a Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge's Department of Engineering and Research Lead for AI for Weather Prediction at the Alan Turing Institute. He serves as Cambridge Lead for the EPSRC Probabilistic AI Hub and previously held roles including Visiting Researcher at Microsoft Research, Co-Director of the AI4ER CDT, and Course Director for the Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence MPhil program. Current research focuses on probabilistic machine learning fundamentals, environmental prediction (weather/climate), and spatio-temporal modeling combining deep learning with Bayesian methods Supervised 26 PhD students (13 graduated) and 7 research assistants/associates Secured over £30M in research funding from EPSRC, Microsoft, Toyota, Google, DeepMind, Amazon, and Improbable Featured in BBC Radio 5 Live's The Naked Scientist, BBC World Service's Click, and Wired Magazine His recent publications demonstrate expertise in diffusion models for PDE simulations, Gaussian Processes for environmental applications, and Bayesian methods for spatio-temporal forecasting. Key trends include climate modeling using ML, neural PDE solvers, and scalable probabilistic inference. Awards : Cambridge Students' Union Teaching Award for Lecturing; supervised Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship winner Collaborations : Microsoft Research (AI4Science), Alan Turing Institute, EPSRC Probabilistic AI Hub Turner leads the Turner Group within Cambridge's Machine Learning Group, focusing on uncertainty-aware ML for scientific applications. Current research assistants work on topics like meta-learning, Bayesian inference, and climate science applications.
Professor Ana Mijic is a leading academic in water systems integration at Imperial College London's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Faculty of Engineering). Her work focuses on developing systems tools to balance economic growth with sustainable water use, flood management, and water quality under future uncertainties. She leads high-profile projects like the EPSRC VENTURA initiative and the NERC CAMELLIA impact programme, emphasizing adaptive planning and grey/green infrastructure integration in urban systems. Education: BEng (First Class) in Civil Engineering from the University of Belgrade (Serbia), MSc (Distinction) in Hydrology for Environmental Management, and PhD in Earth Science & Engineering from Imperial College London (2013). Previously served as a teaching assistant in Fluid Mechanics and Hydrometry at Belgrade University. Research interests include whole-water system modelling, socio-hydrological interactions, and nature-based solutions for resilient urban water systems. Her work bridges academia and practice through partnerships with regulators like the UK Environment Agency and global initiatives like the IAHS HELPING programme. Awards include the Satish Dhawan Visiting Chair Professorship (2022) and the 2019 Imperial President’s Award for Excellence in Research (as part of her Hydrology team). She co-leads Imperial’s Transition to Zero Pollution (TZP) Urban Ecosystems theme and serves on editorial boards for journals like Water Security . Her contributions span over 50 peer-reviewed articles (2020–2025), focusing on integrated water management frameworks, AI-driven monitoring, and systemic approaches to urban resilience. She advocates for participatory decision-making and policy coherence in water governance.
Veronika Eyring serves as Head of the Earth System Model Evaluation and Analysis Department at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Atmospheric Physics and Professor of Climate Modelling at the University of Bremen. She holds dual appointments at these leading institutions, directing cutting-edge research at the intersection of climate science and artificial intelligence. Education: 2008: Habilitation in Environmental Physics at the University of Bremen 1999: PhD in Physics from the University of Bremen 1994: Diploma in Physics from the University of Erlangen Professor Eyring's research program focuses on improving climate models and projections through innovative integration of machine learning techniques and spaceborne Earth observations. Her work spans process-oriented modeling, development of observationally-based performance metrics, and understanding systematic biases in climate models. She has pioneered approaches to weighting model projections based on their performance using machine learning, significantly advancing the field of climate model evaluation. Her research has critical applications across multiple sectors including aeronautics, space research, transportation, and energy systems. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a clear trajectory toward deeper integration of machine learning with traditional climate modeling approaches. Her work has increasingly focused on developing community tools like the Earth System Model Evaluation Tool (ESMValTool) and leading major international initiatives such as the USMILE project (Understanding and Modelling the Earth System with Machine Learning). The publications span climate science, machine learning, Earth system modeling, and remote sensing, with specific emphasis on climate model evaluation, parameterization techniques, and improved climate projections. Scientific Awards: AGU Ambassador Award (2024) TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professor (2024) Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2021) ERC Synergy Grant (2019) Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher (2016-2021) Top female researchers award, Helmholtz-Society (2015) Professor Eyring actively supervises a large research group comprising PhD students working on ML-based sea ice parameterizations, causal model evaluation for air-sea interactions, and machine learning-based detection of droughts in climate projections. She leads the prestigious ERC Synergy Grant USMILE and secured significant funding through the DFG Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. Her research group at DLR includes multiple postdocs, research scientists, and software engineers working collaboratively on climate informatics projects. Professor Eyring leads the Earth System Model Evaluation and Analysis Department at DLR, which encompasses research groups focused on CMIP model evaluation, ESMValTool development, and machine learning applications in climate science. She founded and supervises the 'Climate Informatics' Group at the DLR Institute for Data Science in Jena. Her department maintains strong international collaborations, particularly with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, where she serves as an Affiliate Scientist.
Roles & Affiliations: Daniel J. Jacob is the Vasco McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at Harvard University. He leads the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, part of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. He has held academic ranks including Gordon McKay Professor (1994-2004) and Associate/Assistant Professor (1991-1994), and was a postdoc at Harvard (1985-1987). Education: Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Science from Caltech (1985), Ingenieur Chimiste from École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles (1981), and earlier studies at Lycee du Parc (Lyon). Research Interests: Jacob's work focuses on atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, and air quality. Key areas include methane emissions, tropospheric ozone, satellite remote sensing, and global biogeochemical cycles. His research integrates field campaigns (e.g., SEAC4RS, ARCTAS) and chemical transport models (GEOS-Chem) to address environmental challenges like pollution and climate change. Publications & Awards: Jacob has authored over 550 peer-reviewed publications, with an H-index of 145 (ISI) and 184 (Google Scholar). Notable awards include the Haagen-Smit Prize (2010), Macelwane Medal (1994), and recognition for teaching and climate science leadership. His work on methane emissions and air quality has been featured in Nature , Science , and AGU journals. Grants & Advising: Jacob advises numerous PhD students and postdocs, many of whom hold academic or research roles globally. He leads international initiatives like the Carbon Mapper project and chairs committees for NASA and the National Academies. His grants support studies on methane detection, aerosol chemistry, and climate policy. Labs & Collaborations: The Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group collaborates with NASA, NOAA, and institutions worldwide. Key projects include the GEOS-Chem model, TROPOMI satellite inversion analyses, and the Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) tool for emissions monitoring.
Amir AghaKouchak is a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine (UCI). He directs the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS) and focuses on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of hydrology, climatology, statistics, and remote sensing. B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering (Water Resources), K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran (2001, 2005) Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany (2010) His research aims to leverage satellite data and ground observations to advance modeling of hydrologic extremes (droughts, floods, landslides) and develop decision-support systems for water resources management. Key areas include climate change impacts , stochastic modeling , and the water-energy nexus . Recent publications highlight his work on multi-hazard analysis, groundwater decline, wildfire resilience, and climate projections. Tools like MhAST and MvCAT demonstrate his methodological contributions to copula-based and multi-hazard modeling.
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
Charles F. Harvey is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he investigates hydrology, carbon cycling, and groundwater contamination. His work spans tropical peatlands, arsenic pollution in South Asia, and coastal groundwater dynamics, with field sites in Borneo, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. Education: B.A. in Mathematics (Oberlin College, 1986), M.S. in Applied Earth Science (Stanford University, 1992), Ph.D. in Geological and Environmental Sciences (Stanford University, 1996). Harvey’s research focuses on hydrogeology , carbon sequestration , and contaminant transport . He explores how groundwater flow and biogeochemical processes interact in tropical peatlands and coastal systems, with significant implications for climate change and water security. His recent publications emphasize tropical peatland hydrology , arsenic mobilization , and coastal groundwater exchange , integrating field experiments, remote sensing, and computational models. Scientific Awards AGU Fellow GSA Fellow Meinzer Award (GSA) Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water M. King Hubbert Award for Hydrology NSF Young Investigator Award Harvey leads the Harvey Lab , mentoring students and researchers in projects ranging from groundwater arsenic mitigation to coastal marsh biogeochemistry . His work bridges terrestrial and marine systems , addressing critical planetary challenges.
Ann B. Lee is a Professor and Co-Director of the PhD Program in Statistics at Carnegie Mellon University , with a joint appointment in the Department of Statistics & Data Science and the Machine Learning Department. Prior to joining CMU, she held positions as a J.W. Gibbs Assistant Professor at Yale University and a visiting research associate at Brown University. PhD in Physics, Brown University MSc/BSc in Engineering Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden Her research focuses on statistical methodology for complex data in the physical sciences , emphasizing trustworthy inference, uncertainty quantification, and integration of classical statistics with machine learning. Recent work includes likelihood-free inference, calibrated forecasting, and diagnostics for generative models. The STAMPS research group , which she co-founded in 2018, hosts weekly meetings and public webinars. In Fall 2024, STAMPS will transition into a CMU Research Center. Recent publications span likelihood-free inference , climate modeling , and astronomy . Notable collaborations include applications to hurricane intensity guidance , galaxy redshift estimation , and cosmological parameter biases . She mentors PhD students and has advised multiple award-winning researchers, including ASA Best Student Paper Award winners. Her teaching includes advanced courses on probability, regression, and AI for climate sciences.
Farnoush Banaei-Kashani is an Associate Professor (Tenured) in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver. She also holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position in the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. As the founder and director of the Big Data Management and Mining Lab (BDLab), she leads multiple GAANN Fellowship Programs, including BDSE (Big Data Science and Engineering), DDC (Data-Driven Cybersecurity), and II (Infrastructure Informatics). She directs the 'Data Science in Biomedicine' MS Track and focuses on data-driven decision systems (DDSs), integrating machine learning and big data analytics into healthcare, energy, transportation, and environmental applications. Education: Details not explicitly provided in the text. Her research spans data management cycles for DDSs, addressing challenges like big data volume, velocity, and variety. Key projects include iWatch (crime surveillance), POCM (mobility monitoring), and GeoSIM (urban texture documentation). She teaches courses such as Machine Learning Systems, Big Data Science, and Data Mining. Publications highlight advancements in sea ice classification, federated learning, proteomic networks, and privacy-preserving AI. Her work is funded by NSF, NIH, DOT, and industry partners like Google and IBM. She has advised numerous students and contributes to academic leadership as editor, conference chair (ACM SIGSPATIAL 2018/2019), and program committee member for venues like SIGMOD and KDD.
Leif Eriksson is a Professor at Chalmers University of Technology , specializing in Radar Remote Sensing within the Department of Space, Earth and Environment . His career at Chalmers began in 2004, and he was promoted to Professor in 2022 after serving as Group Leader (2012–2017) and Head of Faculty Assembly (2017–2020). His research focuses on developing advanced methods for environmental monitoring using radar data, particularly synthetic aperture radar (SAR) from satellites and aircraft. Leadership Roles: Group Leader (Radar Remote Sensing), Faculty Assembly Head Key Collaborations: Rymdstyrelsen, EU Horizon, VINNOVA, European Space Agency Research Interests : Dr. Eriksson’s work spans forest biomass estimation , sea ice dynamics , and ocean surface current/wind retrieval . He integrates SAR data with in situ observations and climate models to study: Forest degradation (clear cuts, storm damage) via multi-temporal SAR Sea ice concentration, drift patterns, and thickness in Arctic regions Wind vectors and surface currents using interferometric SAR techniques Applications for maritime navigation safety and polar shipping optimization Article Trends : His recent publications emphasize SAR’s role in transport infrastructure monitoring (e.g., Iron Ore Line degradation), pan-Arctic landfast ice stability , and multi-frequency SAR fusion for enhanced sea ice observations. Collaborative work with teams across Europe and the U.S. highlights interdisciplinary approaches to climate and marine research. Projects & Grants : Dr. Eriksson leads or contributes to projects such as: CAISA (2022–2024): Air-ice-sea data assimilation EONav (2016–2019): Copernicus data for maritime navigation SEDNA (2017–2020): Safe Arctic shipping Forest Biomass Monitoring (2017–2018): Spaceborne SAR applications His work is supported by Rymdstyrelsen, EU Horizon, and industry partners like Trafikverket. Labs & Teams : He is central to the Radar Remote Sensing Group at Chalmers, collaborating with institutions like Lund University and international bodies such as ESA. His research often involves satellite campaigns (e.g., TanDEM-X, Sentinel) and field studies in polar regions.
Reed Maxwell is the William and Edna Macaleer Professor of Engineering and Applied Science in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute at Princeton University. He serves as Director of the Integrated Groundwater Modeling Center (IGWMC) and leads a research group comprising graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff. His academic appointments include concurrent roles in both the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the High Meadows Environmental Institute. Maxwell's research focuses on understanding connections within the hydrologic cycle and how they relate to water quantity and quality under anthropogenic stresses. His work centers on hard problems in hydrology including groundwater, evapotranspiration and snow. His research group uses integrated hydrologic modeling, field observations, and remote sensing products to study terrestrial freshwater systems. Key research areas include surface water and the terrestrial hydrologic cycle; interactions of the land-surface, surface water and groundwater; and human health risk assessment. Maxwell has authored more than 185 peer-reviewed journal articles with an H-Index of 66 and over 19,000 citations. His recent work emphasizes machine learning applications in hydrology, continental-scale modeling, and physically rigorous scenario generation through projects like HydroFrame and HydroGEN. He teaches courses including CEE 306/ENV 318 Hydrology: Water and Climate and CEE 586/ENV 586 Physical Hydrology. 2020 Distinguished Henry Darcy Lecturer American Geophysical Union Fellow (2019) 2018 Boussinesq Lecturer Belle van Zuylen Chair (visiting), University of Utrecht 2017 School of Mines Research Award recipient Maxwell has mentored 17 PhD students and 20 MS thesis students throughout his career. His current research group includes multiple postdocs, research software engineers, and graduate students working on projects spanning continental-scale hydrologic modeling, groundwater-stream interactions, and machine learning applications in hydrology. The IGWMC maintains an active education and outreach program including STEM fairs, school visits, and digital educational tools like the HydroFrame Education Team's virtual sandtank aquifer model.
Britney Schmidt is Associate Professor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Astronomy at Cornell University, where she leads the Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab. She develops robotic tools like the Icefin underwater vehicle to study Earth's ice shelves and glaciers, providing insights into climate change and analogs for ocean worlds like Europa. Her research bridges glaciology, planetary science, and astrobiology. Research focuses on ocean world habitability, ice-ocean interactions, and Antarctic climate systems. Fieldwork includes extensive campaigns in Antarctica and the Arctic using robotic explorers. Recent publications explore Europa's habitability, Thwaites Glacier dynamics, microbial communities in hypersaline environments, and planetary analog studies. Technical developments include novel instrumentation for under-ice exploration. Awarded the 2024 Blavatnik National Award for groundbreaking research. Leads multiple international collaborations including NASA's Europa Clipper mission and Thwaites Glacier projects.
