Sarah M. Kang

Prof. Sarah M. Kang is a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M), leading the newly established Department of Climate Dynamics. Previously, she served as a full Professor at the Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea. Her research focuses on understanding climate system dynamics, including hemispheric heating anomalies, tropical precipitation patterns, stratospheric ozone influences, and the interplay of climate components across spatial and temporal scales.

Education: B.Sc. in Atmospheric Sciences (Seoul National University, 2004); Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (Princeton University, 2009). Postdoctoral work at Columbia University (2009–2011). Promoted to full Professor at UNIST in 2022.

Research emphasizes hierarchies of climate models to test theoretical frameworks, particularly how circulation systems (e.g., storm tracks, tropical rain bands) respond to global warming. Key contributions include elucidating ozone-driven hydrological shifts and asymmetric tropical cloud responses to extratropical forcing.

Awards: 2022 AGU Ascent Award. Her work bridges climate physics and variability, complementing MPI-M’s existing departments under Profs. Bjorn Stevens and Jochem Marotzke.