2026 Earth System Observations & Modeling Graduate Symposium 

Meet Our Career Panelists

Dr. Abdullah Fahad: Abdullah Al Fahad, Ph.D. is an Earth System Scientist at NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at Goddard Space Flight Center. With a decade of experience in climate dynamics, climate change research, and weather-to-climate prediction, Dr. Fahad has led the development of the GEOS-MITgcm coupled ocean-atmosphere model for seasonal-to-decadal climate prediction and developed high-resolution kilometer-scale "Nature Run" configurations for NASA's Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs). Building on this foundation in physical modeling, his current research focuses on hybrid dynamical-AI systems that integrate generative machine learning with physics-based earth system models for S2S-to-Decadal forecasting, including high-resolution reanalysis downscaling, ensemble generation using diffusion models, and Bayesian optimization of physical parameterizations. He has secured five NASA grants (two as PI), authored 13+ peer-reviewed publications, and developed open-source tools including AOESpy and ClimBuntu OS. He earned his Ph.D. in Climate Dynamics from George Mason University, where his research investigated the impact of climate change on large-scale atmospheric circulation.

Dr. Stelios Flampouris: For over 20 years, Dr. Flampouris has been on a mission to decode the complex dance between our atmosphere, oceans, and land. As an operational earth scientist, he uses cutting-edge tools to analyze and predict these interactions, helping develop better observation and forecasting systems. His journey began in Greece, where he was captivated by the world of marine sciences and numerical and ML modeling from the University of the Aegean. This fascination led him to pursue my MSc and PhD at the University of Kiel and the University of Hamburg, respectively, where he focused on the crucial air-sea interface.

Throughout his career, he had the privilege of contributing to groundbreaking research and operational systems at leading institutions like the Hereon Institute, the Naval Research Lab, and NOAA, where he served across various line offices, including NWS, NOS, and OAR. He has also gained valuable experience in the private sector, holding leadership roles at Tomorrow.io, and IMSG.

As global citizen and scientist, one of his driving forces is the desire to make scientific knowledge accessible to everyone. He is a firm believer in open science and data, and actively supports initiatives that break down barriers between academia, government, and industry, with the public private partnerships to be the path forward.

And when the work is done, his happy place is building magnatiles with his toddler and firing up the grill.