Heather Holbach

Dr. Heather Holbach is a Researcher at the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) at Florida State University and a cooperative employee of NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) Hurricane Research Division (HRD). She specializes in air-sea interactions during high-wind conditions, focusing on refining wind speed estimates from the Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR), a key instrument deployed on NOAA P-3 and Air Force C-130 hurricane hunter aircraft. She has conducted over 50 hurricane eyewall penetrations across 8 hurricanes, actively participating in data collection during these missions.

Education:

• B.S. in Meteorology, Florida State University (2010)
• M.S. in Meteorology, Florida State University (2012)
• Ph.D. in Meteorology, Florida State University (2016, advised by Prof. Mark Bourassa)

Research interests include advancing remote sensing techniques for tropical cyclones and understanding air-sea dynamics in extreme weather. She currently serves on the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Committee on Air-Sea Interaction.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with COAPS and the Northern Gulf Institute cooperative initiative with NOAA’s HRD.