Photo: 2017
Photo: 2017
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our past members.
Their dedication and hard work have shaped the research community of WFRT.
Photo: 2017
Photo: 2017
I have been with the WFRT since January 2006. I moved here from England to do my PhD, with an MSc in Meteorology from the University of Reading. Now, as Associate Director, I contribute to research and development strategies and help to keep the team operating, supervising our students’ projects and goals across the board. I thrive on variety, and over the years I have worked on many different research projects spanning very different scales. These range from synoptic-scale research on the effects of the Tibetan Plateau on the global circulation, microscale snow research for the 2010 Vancouver winter olympics, Canada-wide wildfire smoke modelling, mesoscale numerical weather forecasts for Western Canada, to short-term forecasting and climatological analyses of heavy precipitation and flooding in the Rocky Mountains; to name a few. I also have expertise in weather instrumentation, contributing to many of our team’s field projects. Outside of work, I love to spend time in the mountains, trail running and snowboarding. I also enjoy travelling, gardening, and cooking.
Awards & Achievements
I am Kyle, a Postdoc in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia. I joined the research team of Professor Stull as a student/research assistant in 2017. My research of interest is the post-processing of numerical weather forecasts. Weather models approximate the real-world atmosphere with imperfect physics and numerics. This imperfection affects the quality of high-resolution and long-range weather forecasts. By taking the raw forecast as input, I derive methods to reduce its forecast error and enhance its spatial resolution. This post-processed forecast can help professional stakeholders in their daily duties. I use deep learning to derive my forecast post-processing methods. Deep learning is loosely defined as a family of artificial neural networks, and in the past decade, it has achieved success in various topics. I believe deep learning can play a role in the field of weather forecasting and is actively exploring its potential in my research.
I joined the WFRT at UBC as a master’s student in September 2021. I graduated with a BS in Applied Physics from the University of California, Santa Cruz where I completed an undergraduate thesis comparing the way different types of remote sensing instruments are used to map the internal structure of ice shelves in Antarctica. I realized my interest in studying weather while interning at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the summer of 2020. During the internship, I created 3D visualizations of some of the largest thunderstorms in the world that occur in the Sierras de Córdoba in Argentina. I am excited to learn more about meteorology because weather forecasting is so relevant right now in British Columbia, my home state of California, and all across the world. In my free time, I enjoy gardening, dancing, and hiking.
I am a visiting PhD student from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University starting in March 2023. I have been in the field of energy for years, from conventional thermal energy to renewables. My research is focused on solar forecasting and resource assessment for the integration of solar energy. Solar resource assessment is to support the optimal system design of solar energy projects, while solar forecasting is to provide information for system operation and management. I am also interested in machine learning, remote sensing, and numerical weather prediction, which are also applied in solar meteorology. In my visiting at WFRT, I hope to learn more on numerical weather prediction and its application for renewable energy. Contact: shanlin.chen@connect.polyu.hk
I am a visiting PhD student from Germany and joined the lab in March 2023. My background is in Computer Science – I have a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Informatics and a Master’s in Computer Science. As part of the Cluster of Excellence - Machine learning for Science at the University of Tübingen, my group in Germany addresses different research questions regarding sustainable energy systems using machine learning, visit our website for more details on our research. My research interests include dynamical systems, time series forecasting and probabilistic machine learning. In my PhD I develop and apply probabilistic machine learning techniques to forecast wind power taking into account that weather conditions are changing due to climate change. The aim of my project is to generate physically consistent site-specific forecasts for already existing wind turbines and possible future sites.
I am a new arrival here at UBC, as I am starting my master’s program in the fall of 2020. I completed my undergraduate at Oregon State University in the spring of 2020, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Climate Science. During my time at OSU, I primarily focused my studies on meteorology (dynamics, mesoscale, and synoptic scale), but also took other courses in climatology, paleoclimate, oceanography, and geology. During the summer of 2019 I was a student volunteer with the National Weather Service in Portland, gaining some firsthand experience in operation meteorology. To a lot of my friends, I am known as a storm chaser. Since 2016 I have made it a point to experience weather firsthand out in the field. Growing up in Portland Oregon makes it hard to see a lot of severe weather, but I make sure to experience the few times it does happen. Only recently I have ventured into the more severe weather prone areas of the United States. I look to continue my dive into the quirks and features of the weather here in the pacific northwest by researching extreme weather events, using numerical weather models and forecasts.
Before joining WFRT in 2021, I received my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in climate science. During my undergrad career, I conducted space weather research in Hermanus, South Africa and severe weather fieldwork in Tornado Alley, as well as designed and built wind turbines for local elementary schools. Between U-M and UBC, I worked at a NOAA regional center (GLISA) that helps vulnerable communities manage climate change risks in the Great Lakes region, where my projects involved verifying climate models based on their lake physics as well developing a methodology for identifying lake-effect precipitation in model output. For my current research, I dynamically downscaled the Canadian Earth System Model (CanESM2) model using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to create high resolution (3km) atmospheric climate projections for the Salish Sea region. In addition to analyzing changing atmospheric conditions and extreme events, this model is being used as input to a high-resolution (500m) ocean model at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to investigate changes in temperature, oxygen, and ocean acidification. Outside of research, I am working with the Pacific Museum of the Earth (PME) to design a video game to educate children about actions we can take toward managing climate change (launching Summer 2023!). Outside of academia, I enjoy anything involving lakes, as well as painting, gardening, fishkeeping, and baking for my teammates!
Awards & Achievements
I am working on my MSc as part of the WFRT, with a focus on improving numerical weather prediction (NWP) forecasts for damaging wind events in British Columbia. I also am interested in wind power and help maintain a system that makes forecasts for wind farm operators across BC. I have lived in many places across Canada, but grew up mostly in Calgary, AB. Academically, my background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Calgary (2007) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Calgary (2015). My undergraduate honours project focused on studying the chemical and isotopic composition of aerosols in precipitation in Calgary. I subsequently came to the University of British Columbia to do a Diploma in Meteorology, and after finishing this program in the spring of 2017 I joined Dr. Stull’s group as a Master’s student. I moved from the Master’s program to the PhD program in September 2018. Outside of work I enjoy travelling and exploring new places, as well as getting to know my new home of Vancouver better. And although I didn’t pursue it for a career, I still enjoy reading and studying history as well.
Awards & Achievements
I joined the WFRT in 2016 with a B.Sc. degree in Meteorology from the University of Mainz (Germany) and a M.Sc. degree in Meteorology from the University of Uppsala (Sweden). Before moving to Vancouver I worked with satellite data as a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, I investigated convective snow bands over the Baltic Sea using regional climate modelling, and I took various internships, for example, at the German National Meteorological Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst). My current research interest at the WFRT is focused on the predictability of precipitation. I studied the so-called “grey zone” and evaluated systematic variations in physics parameterizations to optimize a numerical weather prediction model for precipitation forecasts. Finally I developed an analog post-processing technique, in which sub-daily precipitation predictions are corrected based on forecasts of similar atmospheric conditions in the past. Besides atmospheric sciences, I also enjoy exploring the great outdoors, playing the cello, as well as taking, editing, and developing photos.
Awards & Achievements
WFRT Member of the Season - Fall 2022
Recognized for her inspiring EOAS Gala speech on behalf of not just our team but all grad students; her excellent academic and life advice to her fellow peers; her overall contributions to our team, as an outstanding scientist, colleague, and friend.
I am a masters student with the team since September 2019 (my name is pronounced Avinab K-uh-del). My research focus is on investigating the utility of weather forecasts for run-of-river hydroelectric systems in British Columbia and my home Nepal. My undergraduate was in Engineering Physics with a focus in renewable energy systems from the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany. I have prior experience working in the Photovoltaic industry as a researcher and project engineer. My further interests include energy policy, system scenarios modelling and energy economics.
In May of 2021 I joined the research team as a master’s student. Prior to this, I studied environmental engineering at the University of Waterloo where I had numerous research and fieldwork opportunities through the coop program. On the WRFT team I have put these skills to use by managing our rooftop weather station and the station network we have set up across the lower mainland. I am also a member of the fire weather field team and have helped develop new expendable instrumentation for improved fire research. On this team I have also been tasked with several projects including improving the wet deposition scheme in our smoke forecasts. My thesis research focuses on improving our weather forecasting ensemble through different weighting techniques. I also have a passion for teaching. I have taught in both instrumentation and modelling courses, as well as mentored the undergraduate students on our team. In my spare time you can find me trail running, skiing, getting well above par in disc golf or swimming in the lovely, cool waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Nadya Moisseeva is working as part of BlueSky Canada team at the Geophysical Disaster Computational Fluid Dynamics Centre. Her core research interests are in atmospheric dynamics, turbulence theory and dispersion. Nadya’s current work focuses on improving wildfire smoke plume rise predictions using large-eddy simulations. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies she has been involved in several collaborative research initiatives, including the FuturAgua Project aimed at improving freshwater security in Costa Rica, as well as in joint work with Environment Canada Air Quality Science Unit on tropospheric ozone pollution in Southern British Columbia.
I joined the WFRT as a Visiting Research Student in March 2023, while pursuing my master’s degree in computer science at my home university. In 2021, I earned my bachelor’s degree in physics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, working on a case study assessment of expected wave power on the coast, utilizing a finite difference model. My passion for numerical modeling, fluid dynamics and renewable energies led me to continue that research using my newfound knowledge in coding to train a neural network that can work as a surrogate for the numerical model. My goal is to achieve faster, more generalizable, and highly accurate prediction of wave heights. During the 5 years prior to 2023 I worked as a professor’s assistant, teaching linear algebra at undergrad level, and developed a deep passion for teaching and science communication. During my free time, I enjoy watching movies, hiking, reading and dabbling in various arts and crafts. Contact: sofi.mich@ciencias.unam.mx
I joined the WFRT as a master’s student in July 2022. Prior to this, I completed my undergraduate degree in astrophysics at Western University in London, Ontario. My undergraduate thesis was focused on using models of hygroscopic growth of particulates to calibrate an air quality sensor. During my undergrad, I completed a 12-month internship at the Canadian Space Agency where I programmed scheduling algorithms for one of Canada’s satellites, NEOSSat. I also worked as a summer research assistant on various physics and astronomy projects. I decided to pursue a master’s in atmospheric science because I love that meteorology and atmospheric dynamics are large-scale, visible examples of the physics that govern our world. For my master’s thesis, I am combining numerical weather prediction and machine learning with the goal of improving longe-range wind forecasts for wind farms. I enjoy skiing, hiking, playing the piano, and baking in my free time.
Awards & Achievements
I am a Ph.D. Student in Atmospheric Science and have been part of the UBC Weather Forecast Research (WFR) Team since May of 2019. Originally from Colorado, I obtained a BA in Physical Geography and a BS in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of Colorado, Boulder. During that time, I also received a certificate in weather forecasting from Penn State University. My research focus is on coupled atmosphere-wildland fire behavior modeling, forest fuel moisture forecasts, wildfire smoke forecasting, and field observations of controlled burns. I am currently developing low-cost, in situ instruments to observe/profile the vertical concentration of PM2.5 in wildfire smoke plumes. I am also working on a Numerical Weather Prediction derived Fire Weather Forecast Model to assess the moisture content within varied layers of the forest fuels (vegetation). My outside interests include snowboarding, climbing, backpacking, and biking.
Awards & Achievements
I started with the team in July 2019 and am working towards my master’s degree. I graduated with a BASc in Engineering Physics specializing in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. My current research focuses on using ensemble forecast outputs to initialize numerical weather prediction models. The goal is to determine whether ensemble forecast datasets create viable forecasts when used as initial conditions for NWP models such as the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF). In my spare time you can usually find me biking, hiking or skiing along with my camera and friends.
In May 2021 I had the pleasure of joining UBC’s Atmospheric Science master’s program. As of December 2020, I received a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. During my undergraduate studies, I focused on dynamic, mesoscale, and synoptic meteorology, along with minors in geographic information science and geography. Within this time I discovered my passion and curiosity for severe weather, specifically extreme precipitation and tornadic events. During the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to experience such severe weather firsthand, as I participated in the Virginia Tech Great Plains Storm Chase. This experience led me to pursue a semester-long study on synoptic-scale and mesoscale characteristics that take part in focusing and intensifying precipitation during flash flood events. At UBC I hope to learn and apply machine learning techniques to identify environmental conditions most conducive to severe weather in complex terrain such as in British Columbia. Outside of my studies, you will typically find me exploring nature, painting, or baking.
I’m a master’s student on the team here and I started in September 2018. I’m from Cape Town, South Africa, where I did my undergrad in Atmospheric Science focusing on climate science particularly, and how climate change is likely to affect high air pollution days in Cape Town. At the WFRT I’m using machine learning and weather data to forecast electricity use, which is strongly related to the temperature. I’m leveraging the team’s access to historical weather forecast data to use as input into a model to (hopefully) improve electric load forecasting. I’m interested in data analysis, machine learning and problem solving and am enjoying being able to apply these tools to a practical and exciting project.
I am an Atmospheric Science undergraduate student at UBC, and am planning to graduate in the Spring of 2021. I have worked for the WFRT for three summers, in which I have done a variety of work, from creating instructional videos for a first year ATSC course, to learning all about developing websites, to working on smoke verification code to help verify the smoke forecast output from the BlueSky smoke modelling framework. I am originally from Calgary, Alberta, and was first interested in meteorology after experiencing the winter chinook winds growing up and wanting to learn more. Outside of my studies and work, I am interested in music, reading, and exploring new places.
I am a second year student who just entered the Atmospheric Science major last fall. It had been amazingly interesting to explore meteorology with Prof. Stull and it really did arouse my interest. It’s a great honor for me to be a new member in the WFRT team, and I can’t wait to explore how first-hand research will be created. Though I’m still a toddler in all kinds of ways, and probably is the one with the least expertise on the team, but I have confidence in myself that I can learn fast and adapt the new working environment. I believe this summer will become a very precious experience for me, and I’m looking forward to strengthening my skills.
I joined the WFRT in May 2022 after my third year as an undergraduate at UBC, where I am majoring in Atmospheric Science and Computer Science. Growing up in Portland Oregon, I loved following the local weather and this hobby led me to study atmospheric science. Although I do not yet have a focused area of study, I am interested in using computers to help the public and answer questions in the world of atmospheric science. For instance, my honours thesis involves using machine learning to forecast snow-to-liquid ratio and my work for the WFRT includes setting up an online tool, BlueSky-Pipeline, for forecasting wildfire smoke. With the WFRT, I hope to learn about techniques used in the field and narrow the focus of my studies. Some of my other interests include skiing, golfing, and cooking.
I joined the WRFT in May 2023 after my second year of undergraduate studies at UBC. I originally majored in Environmental Sciences, but soon realized that my passion for climate change and the subsequent extreme weather events, whether synoptic or local, are better understood through the lens of the Atmospheric Sciences program. I have been interested in weather since I moved from Northern Alberta to Vancouver in 2011, and was amazed by the temperature and precipitation differences between the two provinces. I am eager to contribute to current and future research projects with the WRFT, and I look forward to improving my skills in data analysis and programming. Outside of academia, I enjoy swimming, skiing, and hiking the local mountains.
I am an Atmospheric Science undergraduate student in my 4th and final year at UBC. Having worked 2 summers for the WFRT, I have completed a variety of projects ranging from instrumentation to model verification. During my first summer, my main project was installing a host of new weather instruments, and a system of 4 weather cams, on our building rooftop. The next summer, I learned about the programming of different forecast products, as well as the coding of verification scripts to assess different ensemble members.
I am from Los Angeles, California, and the varied microclimates and monsoon dynamics of the region are what first sparked my interest in meteorology. In the future, I hope to apply my knowledge to areas relating to urban climatology/meteorology, or extratropical cyclones. My outside interests include music (piano, clarinet, and singing), hiking, and photography.
I am a statistics undergraduate student at UBC, and I am going to finish my two co-op terms as an Undergrad Student Analyst in WFRT. My duties include creating the dataset from MISR data (remotely-sensed satellite data) by MINX software to evaluate the BlueSky smoke forecasting model and conducting statistical analysisand comparison of the dataset from SmartFire. I also write up results in the final report for review and assist other team members to do other types of data acquisition, quality control, statistical analysis, results plotting, and other analysis work involving numerical weather prediction. I gained more interest in meteorology through this co-op position and am willing to choose data analysis about weather predicting or smoke forecasting as my further learning goal. In my spare time, I like editing videos, hiking and baking.
Bonjour, I am a UBC student majoring in atmospheric science who had the honor of joining the WFRT in May 2023. I grew up in Montréal where I got to learn to appreciate the beauty of weather and climate. I am excited to engage in a variety of projects with the team to expand my horizons in the field of atmospheric science research. I am most interested in extreme weather, the effects of climate change at the local and global scale as well as the effects of natural climatic variations on the weather pattern. In my free time I enjoy exploring nature, biking, salsa dancing and teaching group fitness classes.
My name is Luzie and I am an exchange student from Germany, currently in my last year of undergraduate studies in Mathematics. I originally chose meteorology as my minor because I wanted to understand climate change and its consequences more profoundly. Taking classes in this field piqued my interest in numerical weather prediction, as it combines the areas that I have been studying. I am very excited to be a part of the team and keen to learn more about how weather prediction models work and how they can be adapted to different contexts.
In May of 2021 I had the pleasure of joining the research team as an undergraduate student majoring in Atmospheric Science. I grew up on Vancouver Island and have been interested in weather from a young age. My current research interests include optimizing wet deposition parameters in wildfire smoke forecasts, mesoscale meteorology, and renewable energy weather. With the WFRT, I hope to further develop my skills in programming, modelling and data analysis, and apply these skills to meaningful research projects in atmospheric science. Some of my outside interests include skiing, hiking, swimming, and astronomy.
In May of 2023 I was granted the opportunity to work for the WFRT after completing the second year of my undergrad studying Atmospheric Science at UBC. I look forward to further developing my knowledge and skills in the domains of numerical weather prediction, renewable energy, anthropogenic climate change forecasting, and any other atmospheric subjects that I have yet to come across. My initial curiosity regarding the weather began with a fascination of watching the formation and dissipation of thunderstorms in my home town, Penticton. Outside of school, I enjoy figure skating, camping, painting, and astronomy.
I am a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Atmospheric Science and have worked with the team for 3 summers as an undergraduate research assistant. I am planning to graduate in the spring of 2021, and go on to do a masters afterwards. My research interests lie mainly with hurricanes/tropical cyclones as well as large scale climatological patterns (El Nino, MJO) that affect them. My latest project was on fine resolution modelling of downslope windstorms in Hurricane Alley, a section of the Dempster highway that crosses the Yukon-NWT border that receives winds near hurricane strength (> 110 km/h).
I am an undergraduate student in Atmospheric Science soon to graduate, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to volunteer with the Weather Forecast Research Team (WFRT) starting in the summer of 2024. I am from Malaysia, located near the equator, where the Coriolis effect is almost zero and there are no cyclones, making the weather less dramatic. Interestingly, I have loved observing the changing weather and especially clouds since childhood. My interest in weather and climate grew as I experienced a variety of weather phenomena in Canada, such as hail, snow, fire weather, and mountain meteorology. Currently, I am inclined on studying climate change and its global impacts, especially the increasing temperatures in Malaysia, which are nearing 40 degrees Celsius. I am also interested in meteorology within the atmospheric boundary layer, weather instrumentation, and forest fires. In my free time, I love seeking out new hiking trails and camping areas in Canada, and I hit the trails as soon as I find them!
I am an atmospheric science and computer science honours student that first began working for the WFRT during the summer of 2019. I intend to graduate in spring, 2021. My area of expertise is anywhere software meets meteorology. During my 2-summer tenure as a WFRT member, I primarily worked on the development of new software products for both our team and the general public. Some examples of these are the synthetic WRF radar/satellite data plots, the automated verification of our weather forecasts with ECCC observations, our geoserver instance, and the new pipeline version of the Canadian BlueSky smoke modeling framework. The computer science portion of my degree has given me the potential to study a lot of machine learning topics, ranging from fundamental theories to deep learning. In the future, I hope to help the process of bringing machine learning into all areas of atmospheric science.
I work as an assistant professor of geoinformatics at the Technical University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic and am on sabbatical with the UBC Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) department. I am involved in developing and enhancing the interactive web mapping tools for forest-fire smoke forecasting. I earned my Ph.D. in geoinformatics at the Technical University of Ostrava. My thesis was centred on the creation of a new distance-based tool to assess spatial point patterns using the stochastic Monte Carlo simulation. My professional experience includes designing, maintaining and updating GIS databases, analysing spatial data, and developing web-map applications, scripts and tools to automate daily tasks. I’m currently interested in spatial-focused big data analysis and machine learning algorithms. My intention is to explore these tools and apply them to specific problems within the field of GIS. My outside interests include hiking, cycling, running, playing soccer, and exploring new places.
