Sarah Kang

Sarah Kang is the Director of the Department of Climate Dynamics at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany, a position she has held since August 2023. She leads the Director's Research Group (CDY) focusing on fundamental climate dynamics. Prior to this, she served as Professor in the Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea from 2011-2023, progressing through assistant, associate, and full professor ranks.

Her research examines complex climate system dynamics, with emphasis on:

• Large-scale atmosphere and ocean circulation patterns
• Tropical-extratropical climate interactions
• Hydrological cycle responses to climate change
• Mechanisms of polar amplification
• Teleconnections between ocean basins and climate zones

Analysis of her recent publications reveals dominant research themes:

• Ocean-atmosphere coupling mechanisms
• Radiative forcing and climate sensitivity
• Hemispheric climate asymmetries
• Tropical precipitation dynamics
• Polar warming impacts on global circulation

with consistent methodology employing high-resolution climate modeling and observational verification.

Major scientific recognitions include:

• AGU Atmospheric Sciences Ascent Award (2022)
• AOGS Kamide Lecture Award (2018)
• Editor's Citation for Excellence in Refereeing (GRL 2018)
• UNIST Teaching Excellence Award (2012)
• NCAR Advanced Studies Fellowship (2009)

She maintains extensive professional engagement as:

• Co-chair of CLIVAR Climate Dynamics Panel
• Science Steering Committee member for CFMIP
• Associate Editor for Frontiers in Climate
• Editor for AGU Advances
• Board member of Korean Meteorological Society