Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson is the John S. and Sherry Chen Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. He serves as Director of the Ronald and Maxine Linde Center for Global Environmental Science and Executive Officer for Environmental Science at Caltech. With a Ph.D. from Scripps Institute of Oceanography (2006), his career at Caltech spans from Assistant Professor (2011-17) to his current Professor role since 2017.

• Education: B.S. in Physics from Dartmouth College (2000), C.A.S. (2001) and M.Phil. (2002) at University of Cambridge
• Leadership: Director of Linde Center (2023-), Academic Officer (2019-22)

His research focuses on ocean circulation dynamics and physical processes governing climate systems. Key areas include:

• Ocean Turbulence and Submesoscale Dynamics
• Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Drake Passage Dynamics
• Climate Change Impacts on Ice Shelf Melt Rates

Current projects involve ChinStrAP (Changes in Stratification at the Antarctic Peninsula), using autonomous ocean gliders to study eddy formation and air-sea exchange. His group employs idealized numerical models, remote sensing, and climate simulations to explore topics like:

• Warm water pathways onto Antarctic continental shelves
• Role of mesoscale/submesoscale eddies in ocean mixing
• Global overturning circulation responses to climate change

Scientific achievements include the Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. He mentors graduate students Xiaozhou Ruan, Giuliana Viglione, and Andrew Delman, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration with institutions like Scripps Institution of Oceanography and CSIR. His group emphasizes inclusive training for early-career scientists in climate-relevant STEM careers.