Elizabeth Bradley

Elizabeth Bradley is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, affiliated with multiple engineering departments. She holds degrees from MIT (S.B., 1983; S.M., 1986; Ph.D., 1992), including a one-year Olympic leave in 1988. Her research focuses on nonlinear dynamics, chaos theory, scientific computation, AI, fluid dynamics, and interdisciplinary applications in climate science and space weather. She has received prestigious awards like the Packard Fellowship and the 1999 College of Engineering teaching award. Bradley’s work bridges computational methods with real-world challenges, including solar flare prediction, paleoclimate data analysis, and resilience to climate-driven disasters. She has contributed to software tools like CSciBox for dating ice cores and led initiatives in computational infrastructure for climate research. Her mentorship and educational contributions emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration and graduate student development.

Education:

• Ph.D., Computer Science, MIT, 1992
• M.S., Computer Science, MIT, 1986
• B.S., Computer Science, MIT, 1983

Research Interests: Bradley’s work integrates computational techniques with complex systems analysis. She pioneers methods in nonlinear dynamics for understanding ecological systems (e.g., honeybee swarms), climate signals in ice cores, and solar eruptions. Her lab develops AI models for predictive analytics in areas like seismic activity and power grid stability. She advocates for open data standards in paleoscience and climate research, emphasizing reproducibility and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Awards & Recognition:

• National Young Investigator Award
• Packard Fellowship
• 1999 College of Engineering Teaching Award

Grants & Mentorship: Bradley has led Computing Research for the Climate Crisis initiatives and advised on disinformation research agendas. She mentors students in computational methods and systems biology, emphasizing practical applications in environmental and health sciences.

Labs & Teams: Her research group collaborates with the Space Weather Technology, Research, and Education Center (SWx TREC), focusing on solar eruption forecasting and ionospheric modeling. She also contributes to the Linked Earth Ontology project for paleoclimate data interoperability.