Current Members

Paul Loikith - Lab Director

Associate Professor, Portland State University, Department of Geography

Ph.D. Atmospheric Science, Rutgers University

B.S. Meteorology, Rutgers University

Research Interests: Synoptic climatology, weather and climate extremes, climate change science

Email: ploikith@pdx.edu

Office: Cramer Hall 424M

CV

Siiri Bigalke - PhD Student

M.S. Climate Science, Utah State University

M.A. Geography, University of Minnesota

B.A. Environmental Science, Smith College

Research: Atmospheric ridges over western North America

Jessica Escobar - M.S. Student

B.S. Geospatial Sciences and Community Planning, Northern Arizona University 

Research: Heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, geography education. 

Laís Fernandes - Postdoctoral Scholar

Ph.D. Water Resources Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil

Research: Influence of ENSO on North Pacific MJO-AR connections and associated precipitation in North America

Amy Johnson - M.S. Student

B.A. Long Island University, Global College

GIS Certificate, Portland Comm. College 

Research : Atmospheric drivers of extreme precipitation

Emma Russell - M.S. Student

B.S. Physics, Portland State University

Research: Meteorology of Western US weather extremes.

Parker Malek - M.S. Student

B.S. Atmospheric Science, University of Washington

Research: High intensity precipitation events in West Coast atmospheric rivers. 

Joe Riedl - M.S. Student

B.S. Environmental Science, Portland State University

Research: Predicting synoptic drivers of heavy precipitation

Arielle Sherbak - M.S. Student

Research: Driver of winter air stagnation events in the Pacific Northwest

Graham Taylor - PhD Candidate


M.S. Geography, Portland State University

B.S. Physics, St. Olaf College

Research: Large-scale atmospheric circulation, climate change & model evaluation, Pacific Northwest weather

Alumni

Yianna Bekris - M.S. Geography, Portland State University, 2022. Now a PhD student at Columbia University.

Dr. Emily Slinskey - M.S. Geography (2018) and Ph.D. Earth, Environment, and Society (2021), Portland State University. Now a precipitation scientist at University of California San Diego/Scripps Institute of Oceanography. 

Graham Taylor - M.S. Geography, Portland State University, 2021. Now a PhD student in Earth, Environment, and Society, Portland State University.

Ilan Gonzalez - M.S. Geography, Portland State University, 2021. Now at the Pacific Northwest National Lab.

Abie Valenzuela - B.S. Environmental Science, Portland State University, 2021. 

Dr. Arielle Catalano - Postdoc at Portland State University from 2018-2020. Now Director of Business Analytics at the Demex Group.

Valerie Thaler - M.S. Geography, Portland State University, 2020. Now at the Spokane National Weather Service Forecast Office.

Ellen Koukel - B.S. Environmental Physics, 2020. Now a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington.

Christina Aragon - M.S. Geography, Portland State University, 2019. Now a Ph.D. student at Oregon State University.

Dmitri Kalashnikov - M.S. Geography, Portland State University, 2019. Now a Ph.D. student at Washington State University.

John Rogers - M.S. Geography, Portland State University, 2019. 

Judah Detzer - M.S. Geography, Portland State University, 2018.