Michael M. Bell

Michael M. Bell is a Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University (CSU), affiliated with the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering. He joined the CSU faculty in 2016 after roles as Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii and Research Assistant Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. His research focuses on tropical, mesoscale, and radar meteorology, particularly tropical cyclone structure and intensification. He leads the TC-RAMS team, advancing extreme weather prediction and software tools.

Education:

• Ph.D. Meteorology, Naval Postgraduate School (2010)
• M.S. Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University (2006)
• B.S. Applied Mathematics & Minor in Meteorology, Metropolitan State College of Denver (2001)
• B.A. Religion, University of Florida (1996)

Research Interests: Bell studies tropical cyclone lifecycle dynamics, mesoscale processes, radar analysis techniques, and open-source software development. His work uses aircraft and radar observations alongside high-resolution models to improve forecasting accuracy.

Awards:

• PECASE (2017)
• NSF CAREER Award (2014)
• ONR Young Investigator Award (2015)
• Herbert Riehl Memorial Award (2006)

Team & Labs: As TC-RAMS team lead, Bell oversees projects like the SEA-POL radar deployment in Steamboat Springs (2024-2025) and the PICCOLO field campaign. His group collaborates on NOAA, NSF, and ONR-funded initiatives to advance weather radar technology and tropical cyclone understanding.