Maximilian Maahn

Privatdozent Dr. Maximilian Maahn is a scientific staff member and leader of the drOPS (clouD and pRecipitation Observations for Process Studies) research group at the Institute of Meteorology, Leipzig University since July 2020. His work focuses on enhancing radar observations of polar clouds and precipitation to improve understanding of precipitation formation processes in clouds.

Dr. Maahn's educational background includes a Meteorology Diplom from Bonn University (2005-2010), a Meteorology PhD from University of Cologne (2011-2015), and is completing his Habilitation at Leipzig University (scheduled for June 2025) with thesis titled 'Advanced Remote Sensing and In Situ Observations of Aerosols, Clouds, and Precipitation to Improve Process Understanding of the Arctic Climate System.'

His research interests center around polar and Arctic cloud physics, with specific expertise in radar remote sensing techniques, snowfall measurement, and precipitation formation processes. Dr. Maahn is currently developing the Video In Situ Snowfall Sensor (VISSS), a novel instrument for direct snowfall observation. His work bridges observational meteorology with practical applications for improving climate models and understanding Arctic amplification.

Dr. Maahn's publications demonstrate a strong focus on radar meteorology, cloud microphysics, and Arctic climate processes, with recent work emphasizing riming processes, snowfall measurement techniques, and the development of novel instrumentation. His research often involves large international collaborations such as the HALO-(AC)³ aircraft campaign.

• Editor of Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (2020-present)
• Associate Editor of Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology (2016-2020)
• Member of ESA WIVERN Mission Advisory Group (since 2021)
• Member of ARM User Executive Committee (2018-2020)

Dr. Maahn has successfully advised PhD students including Nina Maherndl, who recently defended her dissertation. He currently leads multiple significant research projects including CORSIPP (DFG), EMPOS (DFG), WIVERN (ESA), and TRR 172/E05 (DFG), with total funding exceeding 1 million euros. His work involves extensive field campaigns in Arctic regions and collaboration with international research institutions. As head of the drOPS research group, he oversees development of specialized instrumentation and analysis of complex atmospheric datasets from both ground-based and airborne platforms.