[ES_JOBS_NET] Graduate research opportunity to study tornadoes in quasi-linear storms at Purdue University

[Dawson, Daniel T]

The Storm and Tornado Modeling Laboratory (STorMLab; http://stormlab.eaps.purdue.edu<http://stormlab.eaps.purdue.edu/>) in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS, http://www.eaps.purdue.edu/) at Purdue University is currently seeking one M.S. or Ph.D. student to join a NOAA-funded project to study the connections between microphysical processes, cold pool properties, and the genesis and evolution of tornadoes in quasi-linear convective systems (QLCS). This project is part of the upcoming Propagation, Environment and Rotation in quasi-Linear Storms (PERiLS) field campaign. The first phase of this field campaign will take place in the southeast U.S. in Spring 2022 and will be the first large-scale multi-agency program specifically focused on the study of QLCS tornadoes.

Funding is available for an initial 6-month period to support field operations and preliminary data analysis, followed by up to three years of additional funding to synthesize and analyze the results. The successful applicant will 1) assist with the deployment of portable surface probes equipped with both standard meteorological instrumentation and disdrometers to measure rain drop size distributions (DSDs) during the Spring 2022 PERiLS field campaign, 2) conduct original research to synthesize these observations with polarimetric radar measurements and physical models of DSD and cold pool processes and 3) investigate the relationship of these processes with tornado development in QLCSs. The student will have the opportunity through this research to contribute to improving our nation’s operational readiness for the threat these storms pose to society.

Applicants should hold at least a B.S. in atmospheric science, physics, computer science, or related fields. Experience with Linux-flavored command-line computing environments and the scientific Python ecosystem is strongly desired. Experience with field operations in severe weather environments and operation and maintenance of meteorological instruments is likewise valued but not required. Applicants who are members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Purdue EAPS is a leader in the study of Earth’s atmosphere and is actively developing a new research and teaching program in the areas of extreme weather and climate. Purdue is also home to one of the best high performance computing environments for research in the country with several supercomputer clusters having debuted on the Top 500 list. STorMLab has access to these computing resources as well as extensive connections and collaborations with other research groups in EAPS and beyond.

If you are interested in pursuing this graduate research opportunity, please contact Professor Dan Dawson (mailto:dandawson at purdue.edu). While the deadline for applications for priority consideration for the Spring 2022 semester is September 1st, 2021, applications will be considered until November 15th for international applicants and up to one month before the start of Spring 2022 classes (January 10th, 2022) for domestic applicants. Applicants are nevertheless encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Detailed information about application requirements is available at http://www.eaps.purdue.edu/for_students/graduate/grad_admissions.html, and any questions can be directed to Emjai Gregory (mailto:egregor at purdue.edu).


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Daniel T. Dawson II, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

Purdue University

550 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907

dandawson at purdue.edu<mailto:dandawson at purdue.edu>

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