Daniel Chavas

Daniel Chavas is an Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University's College of Science. He leads the Extreme Weather Laboratory and serves as co-lead of the Risk and Resilience Research Community within Purdue's Institute for a Sustainable Future.

Dr. Chavas' research focuses on natural hazard physics, tropical cyclones, weather and climate variability, climate change, risk analysis, and societal impacts of extreme weather. His work combines fundamental understanding of hurricanes, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms with practical applications for hazard modeling and risk assessment. He has made significant contributions to understanding how tropical cyclones expand over warmer sea surface temperatures and the structural factors affecting cyclone persistence. His research group conducts use-inspired fundamental and applied research on extreme weather in a warming world.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on tropical cyclone dynamics, risk assessment, and the intersection of climate science with societal impacts. The research spans theoretical modeling of hurricane structure, analysis of global tropical cyclone exposure patterns, and examination of tornado formation mechanisms in relation to large-scale weather systems.

• NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award recipient
• 2024 Outstanding Early Career Award from the American Meteorological Society Committee on Tropical Meteorology and Tropical Cyclones
• Founder of the Purdue Weather Risk Internship program
• Active science communicator with contributions to The Conversation and the Climate Scientists podcast

Dr. Chavas founded the Purdue Weather Risk Internship program, connecting students with opportunities in weather-dependent decision-making. His educational background includes a PhD in Atmospheric Science from MIT (advised by Prof Kerry Emanuel), a B.S. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Applied Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Princeton University (advised by Prof Ning Lin). His interdisciplinary approach bridges atmospheric science with practical applications for improving risk assessment and decision-making in weather-dependent industries.