معرفی
Michael J. Prather is a UCI Distinguished Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, holding the Fred Kavli Endowed Chair from 2002-2013. He has served as Director of the UCI Environment Institute (2008-2013) and as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. Department of State (2005/2006, continuing as consultant until 2010). Prather is a leading atmospheric scientist with expertise in global atmospheric modeling, particularly as applied to atmospheric composition and climate change.
Prather received his undergraduate degrees in Mathematics from Yale (1969) and Physics from Merton College, Oxford (1971), followed by a Doctorate in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Yale (1976). His academic career includes positions as Researcher at Harvard (1975-1985) and Goddard Institute for Space Studies (1985-1992), Program manager at NASA HQ (1987-1992), and Adjunct Professor in Applied Physics and Nuclear Engineering at Columbia University (1986-1992), before joining UC Irvine as Professor of Earth System Science in 1992.
Prather's research focuses on simulation of the physical, chemical and biological processes that determine atmospheric composition. His work centers on development of detailed numerical models of photochemistry and atmospheric radiation, and global chemical transport models that describe ozone and other trace gases. Key areas of investigation include effects of volcanic sulfate aerosols on stratospheric ozone loss, role of clouds in scattering sunlight and altering photochemistry, and non-linearities in chemical systems that lead to sudden changes such as ozone depletion caused by CFC increases. His research group has developed important modeling tools including the Second-Order Moments (SOM) advection scheme and Fast-J photolysis code that are widely used in atmospheric chemistry models.
Analysis of Prather's recent publications reveals a continued focus on atmospheric chemistry-climate interactions, with particular emphasis on understanding tropospheric ozone, methane lifetime, and stratosphere-troposphere exchange processes. His work increasingly integrates aircraft campaign data (particularly from NASA's ATom missions) with sophisticated modeling approaches to constrain chemical reactivity and transport in the remote atmosphere. The research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between atmospheric chemistry, climate science, and environmental policy.
Prather's scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous honors including:
- Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (Foreign Member, 1999)
- Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (1997)
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2004)
- NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement (1992)
- Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (2024)
- Vilhelm Bjerknes Medal from the European Geosciences Union (2020)
- UCI Lauds & Laurels Faculty Award (2008)
Throughout his career, Prather has advised numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have gone on to prominent positions in atmospheric science. His research has been supported by multiple federal agencies including NASA, NSF, and the Department of Energy. Prather has played significant roles in major international scientific assessments, serving as Lead Author for multiple UNEP/WMO Ozone Assessments (1985-2018) and as Convening Lead Author and Lead Author for several Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports (1994-2022).
Prather directs a productive research group focused on atmospheric chemistry modeling, with current members including scientific programmer Xin Zhu and doctoral student Calum Wilson. His group has developed widely used atmospheric modeling tools including the Second-Order Moments (SOM) advection scheme and the Fast-J/Cloud-J photolysis modules. The group actively participates in major field campaigns such as NASA's ATom missions, analyzing aircraft measurements to improve understanding of global atmospheric composition.
