2014 – 2015  Research Scientist at CIMMS

2012 – 2014  NRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)

2011 – 2012  Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS)

2011  Ph. D. in Meteorology from University of Oklahoma (OU)

2004  M. S. in Meteorology from University of Oklahoma (OU)

2001  B. S. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science from University of Wisconsin – Madison

I specialize in radar-based studies of severe convective storms and tornadoes. I am particularly interested in the use of radar data assimilation for analyzing severe weather events, and doing field work to collect radar observations of severe storms. When I am not storm chasing, I enjoy cycling, painting, amateur radio, and reading to my son.

I grew up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, and my parents always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. One afternoon in 1986, caught a tornado broadcast live on television, and pretty much decided then and there that I wanted to be a research meteorologist and study tornadoes. I made every effort to get ahead in math and science – skills that served me well in college and beyond. After finishing my Bachelor’s degree and spending a year as a research intern, I was encouraged to apply to graduate school. I was accepted to OU, so I packed up and moved to Norman, Oklahoma to work for Dr. Howard Bluestein as a GRA. I spent the next several years chasing severe storms in radar trucks as part of his research group. A data set we collected in the 4 May 2007 Greensburg, Kansas tornado became the nucleus of my dissertation. My interest in radar data assimilation grew during my postdocs at CAPS and NSSL. I now work as a research scientist at CIMMS, where I study the impacts of rapid-scan and dual-pol radar data assimilation.