Bor-Ting Jong
Assistant Professor
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
E-mail: b.jong@vu.nl
(Updated: April 2025; PDF)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Regional hydroclimate extremes, including drought and extreme precipitation events
Predictability, prediction, and projection of regional hydroclimate variability and extremes, from subseasonal to multidecadal and longer time scales.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Columbia University, Earth and Environmental Sciences, New York, NY, 2014 – 2019
M.S., National Taiwan University, Atmospheric Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan, 2011 – 2013
B.S., National Taiwan University, Atmospheric Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan, 2007 – 2011
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Assistant Professor of Earth and Climate, Earth Sciences Department, 04/2025 – current
Assistant Professor of Water and Climate Risk, Institute for Environmental Studies, 04/2025 – current
Princeton University & NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ, USA
Associate Research Scholar of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, 09/2023 – 03/2025
Postdoctoral Research Associate of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, 09/2021 – 08/2023
NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA
National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Research Associate, 11/2019 – 07/2021
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA
Graduate Research Fellow of Ocean and Climate Physics Division, 09/2014 – 07/2019
Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
Research Assistant of Research Center of Environmental Changes, 09/2013 – 07/2014
HONORS & AWARDS
IOP Outstanding Reviewer Awards 2024, 2025
Selected to participate in the “Early- and Mid-Career Researchers Symposium” organized by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) , 2023
AGU 2021 Editor’s Citation for Excellence in Refereeing, 2022
National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship, 2019 – 2021
Taiwan Ministry of Education Fellowship, 2015 – 2017
Dean’s Fellowship, Graduate Schools of Arts and Science, Columbia University, 2014 – 2015
Dean’s Award in the College of Science for Excellence in Master Thesis, NTU, 2013
Member of The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society, 2011
Dean’s Award in the College of Science, National Taiwan University, 2011
National Taiwan University Presidential Award (top 5% of class, 5 times), 2007 – 2011
PUBLICATIONS
Labe, Z. M., T. L. Delworth, N. C. Johnson, B.-T. Jong, C. E. McHugh, W. F. Cooke, and L. Jia: Large reductions in the United States heat extremes found in overshoot simulations with SPEAR. EarthArXiv, doi: 10.31223/X5TX4P (submitted)
Jong, B.-T., H. Murakami, T. L. Delworth, and W. F. Cooke (2024): Contributions of tropical cyclones and atmospheric rivers to extreme precipitation trends over the Northeast US. Earth's Future, 12, e2023EF004370. doi: 10.1029/2023EF004370
Xiao, H.-M., H.-H. Hsu, T.-H. Lee, B.-T. Jong, J.-J Yu, Y.-C. Liang, and M.-H. Lo (2024): The remote response in the Northern Pacific during winter to deforestation in the Maritime Continent. JGR-Atmospheres, 129, e2023JD040372. doi: 10.1029/2023JD040372
Jong, B.-T., T. L. Delworth, W. F. Cooke, K.-C. Tseng, and H. Murakami (2023): Increases in extreme precipitation over the Northeast United States using high-resolution climate model simulations. npj Clim. Atmos. Sci., 6, 18. doi: 10.1038/s41612-023-00347-w
Jong, B.-T., M. Newman, and A. Hoell (2022): Subseasonal meteorological drought development over the central United States during spring. J. Clim., 35, 2525-2547. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0435.1
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, and R. Seager (2021): Assessing ENSO summer teleconnections, impacts, and predictability in North America. J. Clim., 34, 3629-3643. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0761.1
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, R. Seager, and W. B. Anderson (2020): ENSO teleconnections and impacts on US summertime temperature during multi-year La Niña life-cycle. J. Clim., 33, 6009-6024. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0701.1
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, R. Seager, N. Henderson, and D.-E. Lee (2018): Role of equatorial Pacific SST forecast error in the late winter California precipitation forecast for the 2015/16 El Niño. J. Clim., 31, 839-852. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0145.1
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting and R. Seager (2016): El Niño's impact on California precipitation: seasonality, regionality, and El Niño intensity. Environ. Res. Lett., 11, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/054021.
Other publications:
Seager R., M. Ting, B.-T. Jong, M. Hoerling, S. Schubert, H. Wang, B. Lyon, A. Kumar (2015): What can drought-stricken California expect from the El Niño winter forecast? NOAA Drought Task Force, available:
SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS (mentees *)
Jong, B.-T., T. Delworth, Z. Labe, W. Cooke, and H. Murakami: Attributing changes in extreme precipitation across the Northeast U.S. under different climate scenarios. (invited oral) 2025 European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, Apr. 2025
Thirwall, J.*, B.-T. Jong, and T. Delworth: Seasonal variations in extreme precipitation trends across the Northeast U.S. (oral) 2025 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, Jan. 2025
Jong, B.-T., T. Delworth, Z. Labe, and W. Cooke: Reversal of extreme precipitation trend over the Northeast U.S. in response to rapid reduction in greenhoust gas concentrations. (oral) 2025 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, Jan. 2025
Jong, B.-T., H. Murakami, T. Delworth, and W. Cooke: TC-induced increases in extreme precipitation over the Northeast United States using 25-km GFDL SPEAR ensemble. (poster) Symposium on Hurricane Risk in a Changing Climate, Honolulu, HI, Jun. 2024
Jong, B.-T., H. Murakami, T. Delworth, and W. Cooke: TC-induced increases in extreme rainfall over the Northeast United States. (oral) 2024 European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, Apr. 2024
Jong, B.-T., H. Murakami, T. Delworth, and W. Cooke: Increases in extreme precipitation over the Northeast US in 25-km GFDL SPEAR. (oral) US CLIVAR Workshop – Confronting Earth System Model Trends with Observations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Boulder, CO, Mar. 2024
Jong, B.-T., T. Delworth, and H. Murakami: Increases in extreme precipitation over the Northeast United States using high-resolution climate model simulations (poster) 2023 WCRP Open Science Conference, Kigali, Rwanda, Oct. 2023
Fry, G.* and B.-T. Jong: Large-Scale Dynamics associated with Extreme Precipitation in the Northeast United States. (poster) 2022 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Chicago, IL, Dec. 2022
Jong, B.-T. and T. Delworth: Increasing occurrence of extreme precipitation over the Northeast United States: Using an ensemble of high-resolution climate model simulations. (oral) 2022 US Climate Modeling Summit Workshop, College Park, MD, Aug. 2022
Jong, B.-T. and T. Delworth: Using an ensemble of high-resolution climate model simulations to detect, attribute, and project changes in extreme rainfall over the Northeast U.S. (oral) 2022 European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, May 2022
Jong, B.-T., M. Newman, A. Hoell: Rapid meteorological drought development over the central United States during spring. (oral) 2022 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Jan. 2022
Jong, B.-T., M. Newman, A. Hoell: The role of stationary Rossby waves in springtime hydroclimate over the central United States. (poster) 2020 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Dec. 2020
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, R. Seager: Assessing ENSO summer teleconnections and impacts on North America in GCMs. (oral) 2020 CESM Climate Variability & Change Working Group Meeting, Boulder, CO, Mar. 2020
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, R. Seager: Assessing ENSO summer teleconnections and impacts on North America in GCMs. (oral) 2019 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 2019
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, R. Seager: Seasonal evolutions of ENSO teleconnections and impacts on North America. (oral) 2019 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, Jan. 2019
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, R. Seager: ENSO teleconnections and impacts on North America during La Niña summers. (keynote) IV International Conference on El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct. 2018
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, R. Seager and D.-E. Lee: Why did the 2015/16 El Niño fail to bring excessive precipitation to California? (oral) 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 2016
Jong, B.-T., M. Ting, R. Seager and D.-E. Lee: Why did the 2015/16 El Niño fail to bring excessive precipitation to California? (oral) NOAA’s 41st Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop, Orono, ME, Oct. 2016
SEMINAR TALKS
"Increases in extreme precipitation over the Northeast United States using 25-km GFDL SPEAR_HI Ensemble", Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Science, Florida State University Meteorology Seminar, Feb/04/2025 (invited)
“Predictability and prediction of flash drought and extreme precipitation in North America”, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Apr/02/2024 (invited)
“Predictability and prediction of flash drought and extreme precipitation in North America”, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Ocean & Climate Physics Division Seminar, Jan/26/2024 (invited)
"Increases in extreme precipitation over the Northeast United States using GFDL SPEAR_HI simulations", GFDL Lunchtime Seminar, Oct/18/2023
"Increases in extreme precipitation over the Northeast United States using high-resolution climate model simulations", Max Planck Institute for Meteorology Seminar, Jul/26/2023
"Predictability and prediction of flash drought and extreme precipitation in North America", National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) @ University of Reading Seminar, Jul/10/2023
“Subseasonal meteorological drought development over the central United States during spring”, Research Center of Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, May/04/2022 (invited)
“Subseasonal meteorological drought development over the central United States during spring”, Princeton University AOS/GEO/HEMI Climate Seminar, Nov/29/2021
“Subseasonal meteorological drought development over the central United States during spring”, NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory Seminars, Jun/22/2021
“Warm season subseasonal to interannual variability of North American hydroclimate”, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Jun/08/2021 (invited)
SERVICE
Associate editor, Journal of Climate, 2023 –
Reviewer, 2017 – present
Peer-reviewed journals:
Journal of Climate, Journal of Hydrometeorology, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmosphere, Climate Dynamics, International Journal of Climatology, Earth System Dynamics, Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Weather and Climate Dynamics, Nature Communications, Scientific Reports, Communications Earth & Environment, Environmental Research: Climate, Environmental Research Letters
Proposal review: National Science Foundation proposal, NOAA proposal
Other: NOAA GFDL internal review, National Climate Assessment (NCA5) Second Order Draft, International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis (Working Group I, Second Order Draft)
Steering Committee, 2022 – present
Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) Community, Online Events Working Group, 01/2024 – present
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Geosciences (AAPIiG), 2022 – 2023
Mentor, 2021 – 2024
Princeton Women in Geosciences (PWiGs) Mentoring Program
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Geosciences (AAPIiG) Mentoring Pods Program
Graduate Student Committee – Alumni and Careers Chair, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, 2018 – 2019
Student Committee – General Affairs Chair, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, 2009 – 2010
MENTORING
Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System (CIMES) Summer Research Internships, Princeton University, Summer 2024
Mentee: Jordan Thirlwall (SUNY Oswego)
Topic: Changes in extreme rainfall across North America: past, present, and future
Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System (CIMES) Summer Research Internships, Princeton University, Summer 2022
Mentee: Gavin Fry (Dartmouth College)
Topic: Increase in the US Northeast extreme precipitation: past, present, and future
TEACHING
Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University
Earth’s Environmental System – Climate System (undergraduate level), Fall 2017
Quantitative Models of Climate – Sensitive Natural and Human Systems (Climate and Society Master program), Fall 2016
Introduction to Atmospheric Science (graduate level), Fall 2015
Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University
Atmospheric Radiation (undergraduate level), 2011 – 2012
Exploring Taiwan – Geographical Environmental and Resources, Spring 2012
OUTREACH
Exhibitor (represented the Princeton University AOS program, presenting simple hands-on experiments), NJ Ocean Fun Days, Island Beach State Park, NJ, May/18/2024
Volunteer (serving as a visiting team member and engaging with students through discussion about their scientific projects), 17th Annual Monmouth Junction Elementary School Science Fair: Meet a scientist event, Dayton, NJ, Feb/03/2024
Volunteer (for the Princeton University AOS program, presenting simple hands-on experiments), 2023 Teen STEM Conference, Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County, Lawrenceville, NJ, Nov/09/2023
Exhibitor (represented the Princeton University AOS program, presenting simple hands-on experiments), NJ Ocean Fun Days, NJ Sea Grant Consortium, Sandy Hook, NJ, May/21/2023
Presentation on extreme events in changing climate and career paths, Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, NJ, Apr/20/2023
Exhibitor (represented the Princeton University AOS program, presenting simple hands-on experiments to middle/high school girls), PPPL Young Women's Conference in STEM, Princeton, NJ, Mar/16/2023
Presentation on extreme events in changing climate and career paths, AGILE (AAPI in Geoscience: Inclusivity, Leadership, and Experience) Researcher Visit program, Hunter College, New York, NY, Nov/17/2022
Presentation on extreme events in changing climate at a talk series - “BCC Meets Climate Scientists”, Bronx Community College, New York, NY, Oct/28/2022
Volunteer, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, Oct. 2014
Volunteer, “Aiming High for A Low-Carbon Taiwan Exhibition”, Ministry of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, 2011
Vice-director, Atmospheric Science Summer Camp for senior high students, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, 2009
NEWS & MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Jul/31/2025, NOTUS, https://www.notus.org/climate-environment/scientists-trump-climate-change-report-doe-citations-mischaracterizations
Jun/13/2024, SF Chronicle, https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/california-el-nino-enso-neutral-19509531.php
SKILLS & TRAINING
Programming Python, MATLAB, Fortran, NCL, Shell script
Modeling GFDL Spectral Atmospheric Dynamical Core, stationary wave model
Workshops
WCRP Early- and Mid-Career Researchers Symposium, African Institute of Mathematical Sciences Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda, Oct. 2023
Community Earth System Model (CESM) Tutorial, NCAR Mesa Lab, Boulder, CO, Aug. 2015