Graduate Research

Students of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC), funded through $500,000 in support from the Department of Energy (DOE), works on a buoy-based flux measurement system at Lake George on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. (photo by Patrick Dodson)

 

Graduate Research Opportunities

The Atmospheric Sciences Research Center has multiple research opportunities and merit-based fellowships for graduate students applying for Fall 2024 admission.

We encourage you to apply if you are an enthusiastic and motivated student with a BS/MS degree in meteorology, atmospheric science, physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics or a related field. We also encourage you to apply if you are from an underrepresented or marginalized community.

The application submission deadline for priority review is January 5, 2024. Prospective Graduate Student Visiting Weekend is February 29 - March 2, 2024.

Opportunities
Merit-based Graduate Fellowships

All incoming ASRC-advised doctoral students are eligible to compete for one-year merit-based ASRC Graduate Fellowships that carry a full tuition waiver and stipend.

ASRC's merit-based fellowships for first-year ASRC-advised doctoral students includes full tuition (9 credits per semester) and a research assistantship stipend for a 12-month period. Pending satisfactory academic performance, successful applicants can expect comparable support levels in subsequent years. All first-year doctoral students, domestic and international, interested in being advised or co-advised by an ASRC faculty member are eligible to apply. To receive full consideration for the fellowship, you must submit:

  • An application for admission to the appropriate University at Albany Doctoral Program,
  • A letter requesting fellowship consideration to the ASRC Graduate Fellowship Committee, c/o Dr. Fangqun Yu, [email protected]. The letter of request should be a one page cover letter alerting the committee of the applicant’s research interests and the potential ASRC advisor(s) identified.

You are strongly encouraged to coordinate your application with a faculty member at ASRC prior to submission. We may consider late applications under special circumstances.

Graduate Research Assistantship and Teaching Assistantship

There are many graduate student research opportunities within ASRC and the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences.

Teaching Assistantship

Eligible students can apply for a teaching assistantship. You should indicate you are interested in a teaching assistantship when you submit your application.

Opportunities for individuals from underrepresented groups

If you are an individual from an underrepresented group, we encourage you to contact ASRC faculty members about research opportunities. You may find other opportunities through university or external diversity fellowship programs that will allow you to work with a faculty member to craft a unique research project.

You can email individual faculty members with whom you are interested in working or contact Dr. Jorge González-Cruz ([email protected]), Chair of ASRC's Diversity and Inclusion Committee, for more information.

Current Opportunities

NOAA Cooperative Science Center in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (NCAS-M) Graduate Student Fellowship

ASRC hopes to recruit 1-2 underrepresented minority students for two-year NCAS-M Graduate Student Fellowships for the Fall 2024 semester, pending availability of funding. You are encouraged to apply if you are a:

  • Graduate student with minimum 3.0 GPA in an academic major that aligns with NOAA’s mission including atmospheric sciences and other STEM and/or social sciences;
  • U.S. citizen.

There are several benefits to becoming a fellow, including:

  • Two-year financial support - full tuition and annual minimum stipend of $27,500 for doctoral students
  • Training in NOAA-mission research and applications
  • Mentorship and engagement with NOAA professionals
  • Professional skills development workshops
Research Areas and Faculty Advisors

ASRC Graduate research students have access to a variety of tools and areas to work with in addition to faculty members to advise them. The following research activities can help guide you to find an ASRC advisor.

  • Development of forecast tools for power outage prediction, improving wind and solar power production forecasting, the effects of climate change on renewable energy resources, and the interaction of wind farms (and their performance) with the atmospheric boundary layer processes (Dr. Freedman)
  • Ground- and satellite-based remote sensing to investigate vegetation-planetary boundary layer interactions, and/or improve subseasonal-to-seasonal hydrologic prediction (Dr. Ferguson)
  • Development of an autonomous, buoy-based system for measuring air-sea interaction from the sea surface to the top of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (Dr. Miller, Dr. Freedman)
  • Coastal-urban systems; modeling, observations, and applications to: weather; climate; energy and air quality (Dr. J. González-Cruz)
  • Dynamics of African easterly waves  and their interactions with Saharan Dust Aerosols (Dr. Thorncroft, Dr. Grogan, Dr. Lu)
  • Utilizing data from a new, densely-distributed network of low-cost air quality sensors deployed in the New York City metropolitan area to determine spatial and temporal patterns, source attribution, and compare measurements with models (Dr. Lu, Dr. Miller)
  • Using data from ground-based surface-atmosphere exchange networks (e.g., New York State Mesonet at regional scale, Ameriflux/Fluxnet at continental/global scale) to evaluate land surface models, land-atmosphere coupling, and planetary boundary layer schemes (Dr. Miller, Dr. Lu)
  • Developing machine-learning models and employing statistical techniques to study variations and sensitivities among climate regions and their influence on predictability as well as to investigate the predictability of winter-weather effects on NY state roadways (Dr. Sulia, Dr. Thorncroft)
  • Fundamentals of particle formation and evolution, aerosol-cloud-precipitation-climate interactions, solar radiation management, contrail formation and impact of hydrogen fuel aircraft, health effects of particles in the atmosphere (Dr. Yu, Dr. Lance)
ASRC Student Spotlights
Archana Tripathy
A woman with long dark hair wearing a long-sleeved black shirt stands in front of a presentation poster.

What is your most recent achievement/award?

I was awarded Ralph Cicorene Fellowship in 2022 and got a chance to do an internship at Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling with NCAR.

What influenced you to study atmospheric sciences?

I have always been a happy nephophile, very enthusiastic about the sky above. I grew up in a coastal cyclone-prone area. Witnessing the sky changing colors along with the cloud cover has been the main driving force that led me to pursue Atmospheric Science as a career.

What is your area of specialty/focus?  

My area of focus is Atmospheric Chemistry (cloud chemistry).

What is the current degree are you seeking? 

I have a master’s and I am now seeking my Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science. The title of my dissertation is “Multi-phase Cloud Chemistry at Whiteface Mountain.”

What do you hope to accomplish in terms of research goals?   

The acid rain problem of previous decades has been solved in New York state because of the Clean Air Act (1990) but the recent growing trends of ammonium and organics are leading us to a new chemical regime that has not been studied before. Also, the frequency of wildfires has increased in recent years which can impact the composition of cloud water. I hope to provide more in situ measurements of the chemical composition of warm clouds (organics existing in different phases and their phase partition under different circumstances) for a better understanding of the new chemical regime.

Who do you aspire to be in the ATM scientific community? 

I would like to be more involved in field campaigns related to ATM chemistry and provide good datasets to contribute towards filling the gap between modeling and observational studies.

What inspiring message would you share with anyone who is just starting (think K-12) their academic career is the sciences?   

Time management is an essential skill in life. Do not be afraid to try new things and it's OK to ask for help if needed, your professors are there to help you succeed.