John Allen

Dr. John Allen is an Associate Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Central Michigan University, where he also serves as Director of the Earth and Ecosystem Science Ph.D. Program and Associate Director of the NSF Artificial Intelligence Institute for Environmental Sciences (AI2ES). He is actively engaged in interdisciplinary research focusing on severe convective storms, their climatology, and responses to climate change.

Education:

• Ph.D., Earth Sciences (Meteorology), The University of Melbourne, 2013
• B.S., Research Honours (Meteorology), The University of Melbourne, 2008
• B.S., Meteorology and Applied Mathematics, The University of Melbourne, 2007

Dr. Allen’s research centers on global severe weather, particularly tornadoes and hail, and their interactions with climate variability and change. He employs machine learning, statistical modeling, and environmental datasets to improve forecasting and risk assessment. His work spans climatology, atmospheric dynamics, and operational meteorology, with a strong emphasis on translating climate projections into actionable resilience strategies.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend in applying artificial intelligence and deep learning to severe weather prediction, including hail nowcasting, frontal boundary detection, and hodograph analysis for hazard discrimination. These works reflect a focus on both theoretical understanding and practical forecasting applications.

Scientific Awards:

• National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2020)
• Central Michigan University Provost’s Award for Outstanding Research (2019/2020)
• College of Science & Engineering Award for Outstanding Research (2019)
• AGU Editors' Citation for Excellence in Refereeing (2015)
• European Severe Storms Laboratory Heini Tooming Award (2015)
• AMS STAC Outstanding Early Career Award (2022)
• AMS Editor’s Award for Reviews (2022)

Dr. Allen advises numerous Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers, and leads multiple funded projects with NSF and NIST. He has served as an editor for Weather and Forecasting and Artificial Intelligence for the Earth Systems. His research group, the Allen Research Group, conducts fieldwork and collaborates internationally on hail and tornado studies.

Key Research Projects:

• NSF-funded ICECHIP hail field campaign (co-lead, summer 2025)
• Quantifying Risk of Wind and Hail Storms in a Warming Climate (NIST-funded)
• Geospatial Predictive Analysis of Hail and Wind (AON Inc.)
• Left-moving Supercell Storm Processes (NSF)
• Improving High-Impact Hail Forecasts (NSF PREEVENTS)