Jason Keeler

Dr. Jason Keeler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Central Michigan University (CMU), where he has been a faculty member since 2018. He is also affiliated with CMU’s Institute for Great Lakes Research. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. and M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.S. in Meteorology from SUNY Oswego, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a visiting fellowship at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

• Ph.D., Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2015
• M.S., Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010
• B.S., Meteorology, State University of New York College at Oswego, 2007

Dr. Keeler's research lies at the intersection of mesoscale and boundary layer meteorology, with a strong emphasis on fieldwork and idealized modeling. His primary interests include convection initiation in coastal environments, thunderstorm outflow airmasses (including the development of Mesoscale Airmasses with High Theta-E), winter cyclone dynamics, cloud-top generating cells, lake-breeze interactions with urban heat islands, and the application of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for atmospheric observations. He actively involves students in field campaigns using mobile mesonets and radiosondes.

His recent publications focus on idealized simulations of convection initiation, UAS-based boundary layer sampling, and the dynamics of generating cells in winter storms. These works span journals such as the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Monthly Weather Review, and Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, reflecting a consistent trend in advancing understanding of mesoscale atmospheric processes through combined observational and modeling approaches.

Dr. Keeler has been recognized with the 2019 AMS Editors' Award for his service as a reviewer. He leads the NSF-funded STORM (Student Training for Observational Research in Meteorology) program, which provides undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on field research experience, particularly around Lake Michigan. He is currently recruiting graduate students for the ICECHIP field campaign to study cold pool substructures.

Dr. Keeler directs a research group that utilizes mobile mesonets, radiosondes, and sUAS for field data collection. The Keeler Lab is actively engaged in collaborative campaigns and integrates field observations with high-resolution numerical modeling (e.g., WRF, CM1) to investigate atmospheric phenomena.