Group members
Group Lead
Christina Karamperidou
PhD: Columbia University, 2012
MS: Environmental Protection & Sustainable Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 2007
MS: Hydraulics & Environmental Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 2006
BS: Civil & Environmental Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Nicole Murray
PhD: Earth Science & Environmental Change, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), 2024
MS: Geology, UIUC, 2020
BS: Animal Science, UIUC, 2017
BS: Earth & Space Exploration (Geological Sciences), Arizona State University, minor in Sustainability, 2015
Research Interests:
ocean-atmosphere interactions, paleoclimatology/paleoceanography, stable isotope geochemistry, climate extremes
Postdoctoral Researcher
Jake Casselman
PhD: Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, 2022
MA: Climate and Society, Columbia University, 2018
BS: Earth Sciences, McGill University, 2017
Research Interests:
Tropical-extratropical interactions, ML/AI for extreme weather, industry-facing climate and weather impacts.
PhD candidate*
Zachary Menzo
MA: Climate Science and Policy, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, UCSD, 2017
BS: Earth & Environmental Science, University of Michigan, 2013
Research Interests
Science communication, Climate Change, ENSO dynamics and teleconnections, Paleoclimate
* now a Physical Scientist at EPA, Air & Radiation Division
PhD Candidate
Gerardo Rivera Tello
BS: Physics, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru, 2017
Research Interests
ENSO, climate modeling, Big Data, software design, Machine Learning, Data management, Neural Networks.
PhD Candidate
Weibang He
MS: Marine Science, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, 2023
BS: Atmospheric Science, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, 2020
Research Interests
climate variability & change, ocean-atmosphere dynamics.
PhD student
Wasfia Hoque
MS: Sustainability Science, Columbia University, 2022
BS: Chemistry, University of Washington, 2020
Research Interests
Climate Modeling, Extreme Weather and Climate, Atmospheric Chemistry, Fate and Transport, Artificial Intelligence
Undergraduate student
Olivia Alderson
BS: Atmospheric Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, expected 2026
Research Interests
machine learning, climate modeling, atmospheric composition
Alumni/ae
Postdoctoral Researcher, 2025
Zhanxiang Hua
Current Position: Research Scientist; CIWRO
PhD: Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, University of Washington, 2025
MS: Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, University of Washington, 2022
BS: Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Purdue University, 2019
Research Interests:
Severe weather, supercell, tornadoes, ML/AI, Deep Learning
PhD, 2025
Madeline McKenna
Current Position: Grau Fellow, Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CCSR)
MA: Climate and Society, Columbia University, 2016
BS: Environmental Science, Northeastern University, 2014
Research Interests:
ENSO dynamics & teleconnections, tropical-extratropical interactions, and connections between ENSO and extreme weather phenomena.
BA, 2023
Charlie Robison
Current Position: CTO | Co-Founder @ Swivel
BA: Information & Computer Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi and Mānoa
Research Interests
Software Engineering, Web Development, Backend & Frontend Development, Database Design & Management, Data Science
MS, 2023
Hope Oberg
MS: Atmospheric Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023
BS: Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2021
Research Interests
Tropical cyclones, climate change, ENSO dynamics, extreme weather.
MS, 2021
Chaowat Siwapornchai
Current Position: Meteorologist at Climate Center, Thai Meteorological Department
MS: Atmospheric Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
BS: Earth Sciences, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
Research Interests
Climate change & variability, ENSO, climate modeling and forecasting
BA, 2022
Michael Ito
Current Position: PhD, University of Michigan
BA: Information & Computer Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Research Interests
Deep learning with Graphs and Networks for Climate Applications, Bioinformatics and Microbiomes, Solar Physics and Astronomy, Deep learning theory
MS, 2020
Jan van der Veken
Current Position: JB Tank, LLC
MS: Atmospheric Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
BS: Meteorology, Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Research Interests
Tropical Cyclones, lightning, climate modeling and downscaling, weather risk management
PhD, 2017-2020
Jil Kiefer
MS: Marine Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany
BS: Geophysics/Physical Oceanography, University of Hamburg, Germany
Research Interests:
ENSO dynamics and impacts, climate variability, paleoclimate variability
BS, 2019
Nicholas Modar
Current Position: Associate Geoscientist, Weston Solutions, Inc.
MS: Earth & Climate Sciences, San Francisco State University
BS: Atmospheric Sciences, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, May 2019
AA: Social Science, American River College
Research Interests
Climate change, wildfire dynamics, predictability of wildfire weather, role of fire in global earth system processes.