Jacob Hair
Project: Investigating the impact of fine-scale Gulf Stream SST gradients on the development of bomb cyclones in the Community Earth System Model 2.
I joined the lab in Fall 2023. My current research is on how the Gulf Stream impacts fine-scale frontal processes within bomb cyclones. I have always been interested in extreme weather and how it impacts society. Improving forecasting techniques, better understanding severe phenomena, and efficient communication to those impacted have always been goals for me in any research project. I graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Meteorology and Atmospheric Science. There, I researched with Dr. Steven Greybush on using vertical velocities within the Dendritic Growth Zone to better forecast mesoscale snow bands in Nor’easters. I have also worked at Scripps Institution of Oceanography within the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes division. I worked with Dr. Jennifer Haase on improving Atmospheric River forecasts by analyzing Airbourne Radio Occultation data between models. I currently participate in the AR Recon, where they plan the NOAA Hurricane Hunter flights into these systems.
Outside of research, I enjoy broadcast meteorology. While at Penn State, I was an on-air meteorologist for Weather World, providing Pennsylvania households with the latest weather. I also enjoy watching and playing sports, being a high school baseball umpire, exploring nature, watching my favorite TV series Dark Shadows from the 1960’s (!), and always having a laugh along the way.
Kaitlin Kitch
Project: North Atlantic marine heatwaves and their impact on the extra-tropical transition of tropical cyclones.
I received my Bachelor of Science in Meteorology and Atmospheric Science from Penn State University with a minor in Marine Science. Throughout my undergrad, I took various courses in meteorology as well as physical and biological oceanography, and I had the opportunity to research the life cycle of the jellyfish Cassiopea Xamachana. From my experiences, I realized I am very interested in how the ocean and atmosphere interact and influence one another. This led me to my current research on how marine heatwaves impact the extra-tropical transition of tropical cyclones.
Outside of school, I enjoy being outside, going to the gym, and I am now working to compete in a bodybuilding show!
Harrison Prieto
Project: Quantifying the impacts of atmospheric fronts on tropospheric ozone.
I finished my undergraduate degree at Florida State University in May of 2020 before continuing my studies of meteorology in graduate school here. Currently, I'm studying the impact of frontal boundaries on the vertical structure of ozone in the troposphere with Dr. Parfitt. Outside of the classroom, I've worked alongside the National Weather Service in Tallahassee and participated in the FSUweather show produced by undergraduate students. Additionally, over the past six years I have been a member of the Florida State University basketball team, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the program. I'm originally from Mandeville, LA and I initially became interested in meteorology when Hurricane Katrina made landfall near my hometown. Since that moment, I've always wanted to become a meteorologist, and I'm extremely excited to be completing this goal!
I am currently looking for motivated MS students, PhD students, and Postdocs to join my research group in 2024. Please contact me if you are interested!
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science (EOAS) at Florida State University. I graduated with an Undergraduate Masters in Physics from the University of Oxford in 2010, and completed my Ph.D. in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Climate Physics from Imperial College London in 2014 under the supervision of Dr. Arnaud Czaja. Before coming to FSU in 2019, I briefly worked as a quantitative analyst at a hedge fund before joining the Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget project at Imperial College London. In 2016, I was then awarded a Weston Howland Jr. Postdoctoral Scholarship in the Department of Physical Oceanography at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. I am currently an Associate Editor for the journal Atmospheric Science Letters, and a member of the CLIVAR Climate Dynamics Panel. I am also leading the Bridge Initiative between EOAS and the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship.
