Yves Balkanski

Yves Balkanski is a Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE) within Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, and UVSQ, and serves as Deputy Director of Institut Pascal at Université Paris-Saclay. With over 30 years of research experience, he specializes in atmospheric aerosols and their critical role in climate modeling systems. His work spans from understanding historical climate patterns through dust analysis to developing predictive models for future climate scenarios. Balkanski is part of the team developing one of France's two major "Earth system" climate models.

His research focuses on the interactions between atmospheric aerosols and climate, particularly examining how dust particles influence radiation, temperature profiles, and precipitation patterns. He has made significant contributions to understanding desert dust cycles, especially regarding iron oxides in Sahelian dust and their impact on atmospheric warming and precipitation. His work connects historical climate data from ice cores and marine sediments with contemporary climate modeling to improve future climate predictions.

Balkanski's publications reveal a strong focus on dust modeling, aerosol-climate interactions, and Earth system science. His recent work shows increasing emphasis on the connection between dust modeling and climate prediction accuracy, particularly regarding monsoon systems. The research spans multiple disciplines including atmospheric science, climate modeling, biogeochemistry, and environmental physics, with strong international collaboration evident across his publications.

• Highly Cited Scientist (HiCiSci)

Balkanski has supervised 10 postdocs and 8 PhD students, including several Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship winners. His leadership extends to major international projects including CLIMDO, CRESCENDO, PoleAsia, RED-DUST, and Imbalance-P. As Deputy Director of Institut Pascal, he plays a significant role in advancing interdisciplinary research across Université Paris-Saclay.

His laboratory work centers on atmospheric aerosol modeling within the Earth system framework, with particular expertise in dust cycle modeling and its climate implications. Through his leadership roles and research direction, Balkanski has positioned his team at the forefront of understanding how natural aerosols influence both historical and future climate patterns.