Susan C. van den Heever

Susan C. van den Heever is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University (CSU), affiliated with the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering. Her research focuses on cloud processes, aerosol-cloud interactions, and convective storm dynamics. She leads the NASA INCUS mission, studying tropical convective storms from space, and oversees the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). She has advised over 30 graduate students and is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.

Education includes a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from CSU (2001), and earlier degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her career spans roles as a research scientist, professor, and visiting scholar at Oxford University (2020–present). She has led field campaigns like C3LOUD-Ex and BACS, examining storm dynamics and bioaerosol transport.

Research interests include cloud microphysics, mesoscale modeling, and the impacts of aerosols on precipitation and storm morphology. Awards include the George T. Abell Award (2022), Monfort Professorship (2015–2017), and multiple teaching excellence recognitions. Her work bridges observational data, numerical models, and satellite missions to advance climate science.