ATOC Graduate Application Mentorship Program

Ash is a 5th year PhD student working with Dr. Jen Kay. They study the controls on the observed Arctic warming trend and variability. Before coming to ATOC, Ash completed a BSE in Climate & Meteorology with minors in Computer Science & Latin at the University of Michigan. Outside of school, they enjoy running, hiking, drawing, cooking, and reading (sci-fi, fantasy, etc).

Aiden is a second year PhD student interested in climate dynamics and climate modeling. During his undergrad, he studied computer science and math at Middlebury College and graduated in 2025. For fun, Aiden enjoys board games, live music, and rock climbing.

Zach is a 5th year Ph.D. working with Dr. Andrew Winters. He is researching cold frontal passages along the Colorado Front Range and their attendant sensible weather impacts and his broader research interests lie in synoptic dynamic meteorology.  Before joining ATOC Zach received a B.S. in both atmospheric science and applied math from the University of Miami (Florida). Zach’s hobbies include swimming, martial arts, tennis, exploring new places, and discovering cool shows.

I'm a second year PhD student working with Dr. Irina Petropavlovskikh (CIRES; NOAA-GML) and Dr. Peter Pilewskie (LASP; ATOC). I am also working at CIRES where my position is embedded within the NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML). My research is on the long-term trends and changes in atmospheric ozone (both Stratospheric and Tropospheric) and on the retreival algorithms used to measure trace gasses in the atmosphere (using radiative transfer methods). I have recieved a B.S. in Meteorology from Iowa State University in 2012. I am enjoying living in Colorado where I can do all the outdoor things (skiing, hiking, camping, etc.).

Cari is a 3rd year PhD student working in the coastal oceanography modeling group under Dr. Julia Moriarty. She studies the modeling and prediction of estuarine water quality under different river discharge and wind conditions. Before coming to ATOC, she completed a BS in Earth System Science and a BA in Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Irvine. Outside of research, Cari loves to run, play volleyball, and eat good food.

Dora is a third year PhD student in Sara Sanchez’s topical climate variability and paleoceanography group. She researches salinity and the water cycle in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans using models, satellite data, and coral data. She received a B.S. in Mathematics from Case Western Reserve University, with minors in Physics and Environmental Studies, then briefly worked in geothermal energy at the National Renewable Energy Lab. In her free time, Dora loves to hike, sail, practice kung fu, and travel.

I'm a third year PhD student working with Dr. Ben Li in the Stable Isotope Lab. I study nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen isotopes to better understand the carbon cycle and the chemistry/composition of the current and past atmosphere. Before arriving to Boulder, I received a B.S. in Chemistry and B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Rochester. Outside school, I enjoy hiking, live music, skiing, traveling and board games/trivia! 

Vikas is a 5th year Ph.D. student in Prof. Sebastian Schmidt’s Atmospheric Imaging, Radiation, and Remote Sensing (AIRS) group. He uses machine learning on top of satellite and airborne data to improve our understanding the Arctic surface. Before ATOC, Vikas completed a Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering at CU Boulder and worked/works at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). He enjoys hiking Colorado trails, going to trivia nights, and learning the piano.

Jairo is a fourth-year PhD student working with Dr. Katja Friedrich. His research focuses on radar microphysics, particularly snow production at the top of clouds. Jairo completed his undergraduate studies in Environmental Engineering in Peru. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar, chess, Dota 2, hiking, and attending concerts.

Ona is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the ATOC department. She received a B.S. in Atmospheric Science and a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Outside of school she enjoys reading, hiking, camping, and anything to do with the ocean!

Max Elling is a 3rd year PhD student working with Dr. Kris Karnauskas. He is currently studying the impacts of climate on malaria in southeastern Africa and building a global climate-health index. Previously, he was at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, where he studied how climate models simulate extreme weather. Max enjoys running, biking, and good coffee.

Ashley is a first year PhD student working with Dr. Karnauskas in the Oceans and Climate Lab. She is interested in studying the dynamics of coupled atmosphere-ocean interactions. Ashley attended the Ohio State University for undergrad where she double majored in physics and astronomy/astrophysics. She enjoys traveling, hiking, learning languages, reading, and trying new coffee shops.