Project Alumni

Akansha is a postdoctoral fellow at CIRA Colorado working with Dr. Imme Ebert-Uphoff and Kyle Hilburn. Her research focuses on developing machine learning approaches for satellite data. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, MS in Information Technology from IIIT-Bangalore, and B.Tech in Computer Science. She spent one year in NTU Singapore researching real-time operating systems before starting her Ph.D. Her doctoral work focuses on using ML and satellite imagery for control, modeling, and forecasting solar power. She also interned at the GeoAI group at Oak Ridge National Lab during her Ph.D.

Professional Website

Lauriana Gaudet will be a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center starting in the late summer working under Dr. Kara Sulia and Dr. Chris Thorncroft. Her Ph.D. work focuses on identifying sensitivities of high-impact weather events to cloud microphysics through forecast ensembles. She is looking forward to combining her numerical weather prediction expertise with machine learning techniques to address AI2ES goals associated with winter weather prediction. Lauriana anticipates earning her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences during the summer and earned her B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences at Lyndon State College.

Michael Gray is a Masters student in Dr. Ruoying He’s Ocean Observing and Modeling Group at North Carolina State University in the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences. His current research involves the application of ML and AI in ocean models, but he is especially interested in air-sea interactions and the ocean’s role in weather systems. He received a B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Marine Science, both from North Carolina State University.

Dr. Lowe is a postdoctoral research associate at NC State University with Dr. Ruoying He. Her research focuses on coastal processes in the ocean. She is most interested in the connections between the circulation and marine ecosystems. She is very excited to be part of the Ocean Observing and Modeling Group at NC State and learn artificial intelligence / machine learning methods and apply them to investigations of ocean circulation and contribute to developing coastal solutions. Dr. Lowe earned her PhD at University of  California Santa Cruz.

Deianna Madlambayan is a master’s student and graduate research assistant at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. She is studying risk perception, communication, and decision-making as it relates to AI under Dr. Ann Bostrom and Dr. Julie Demuth. Before attending the University of Washington, Deianna earned her BS in civil engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr Mamalakis is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Atmospheric Science of Colorado State University, working under the supervision of professors Imme Ebert-Uphoff and Elizabeth Barnes. His research focuses on the application of machine learning (ML) and ML interpretability methods to climate problems, on climate predictability and teleconnections, climate change impacts, and hydrology. Dr Mamalakis holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, and a MSc and a diploma from the University of Patras, Greece.

Laura McGee is a PhD student in Dr. Ruoying He’s Ocean Observing and Modeling Group at North Carolina State University in the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences. Laura’s current research interests involve using AI and ML to predict marine environment conditions. She completed her MS in the same group, investigating hurricane impacts on ocean surface mixing and chlorophyll blooms. Ms. McGee completed her BS in physics at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Amanda Murphy is a PhD student at the University of Oklahoma working under Dr. Cameron Homeyer. Her work focuses on using radar data along with machine learning techniques to better understand the presentation of tornadic vs. non-tornadic thunderstorms on radar and work toward improved prediction of tornadoes. Amanda earned her B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois before completing her M.S. in Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.

Alex Nozka is an Undergraduate at the University of Oklahoma studying meteorology and computer science. His research focuses on nowcasting tornados via machine learning. When not in school, Alex enjoys watching storms, playing water polo and frisbee golf, and hanging out with friends.

Dr. Przybyło is a postdoctoral research associate at the University at Albany developing software products and tools for the atmospheric sciences with a focus on winter weather. Her experience includes building user interfaces powered by deep learning and machine learning techniques to provide exploratory analysis and insight to end users. Within the AI2ES science objectives, she harnesses the power of convolutional neural networks to predict the presence of precipitation in New York State Mesonet imagery at night to provide real-time, operational capacities. Dr. Przybylo earned her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University at Albany in 2021.

Tobias is a graduate research assistant and master’s student working under the supervision of Dr. Amy McGovern and Dr. Corey Potvin. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in spring 2021 with a B.Sc. Combined Honours in both Atmospheric Science and Computer Science. His work is focused on developing trustworthy AI for convective weather with AI2ES and the National Severe Storms Laboratory.

Monique Shotande is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Oklahoma. Her current research focuses on developing and refining machine learning models for tornado prediction. She received her BS in Digital Arts and Sciences from the University of Florida and MS and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Oklahoma where she studied artificial intelligence, machine learning, and medical computing. Her doctoral research focused on modeling infant neuromotor development and the gait of individuals with amputation.

Chad Wiley is a master’s student working under Dr. Amy McGovern and Dr. Corey Potvin at the University of Oklahoma, School of Meteorology. His current research will work to improve short-term severe weather forecasting using deep learning techniques. Before attending the University of Oklahoma, Chad graduated from the Millersville University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in meteorology and a minor in computer science.

Mel is a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Oklahoma working under Dr. Andrew H. Fagg. She is pursuing her Master’s degree in Computer Science. Her research interests include deep learning for computer vision and data science for societal and environmental impact. Prior to joining AI2ES, she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and worked as a data scientist for the Department of Energy.