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Esteben Avella Shaw
In Fall 2022, I began my Master's journey at McGill. Prior to this, I graduated from the B.Sc. Soil, Water, and Atmosphere at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands. During the third year of my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to participate in an exchange program at NMBU in Norway. It was in Norway that I developed a profound passion for cold climate phenomena. This fervor ultimately led me to join the sea ice group in the AOS department at McGill. I am currently under the supervision of Prof. Carolina Dufour, working on the impact of topography and mesoscale eddies on ocean heat transport from the Atlantic to the Arctic. And just for a light-hearted aside: if you ever come across Dutch rap on streaming platforms, you might just hear my voice!
I joined as a PhDstudent at the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at McGill University and my research is supervised by Dr. Peter Bartello. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Surat, India. I became fond of Fluid dynamics which led me to my master’s degree in Climate Science from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. My thesis was about the non-linear adjustment in the tropics, in which I studied the evolution of the shallow water equations in spherical geometry. Currently, my broad area of interest is Geophysical
Florence Beaudry
I am a PhD student working with Prof Bruno Tremblay in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department. I previously obtained a bachelor’s in physics from Université de Montréal and an M.Sc. in atmospheric sciences from UQAM. My current research is centered on sea ice modeling
Ben Bergen
I am a graduate student in Dr. Andreas Zuend’s group. My research involves modeling studies on the influence of organic compounds, such as organosulfates, on aerosol acidity and multiphase processes. Before coming to McGill, I earned a BSc in Chemistry and Physics from Carleton University. I became interested in atmospheric science during a co-op term with Environment and Climate Change Canada where I worked as a data analyst for the National Air Pollution Surveillance Program. Outside of school I enjoy reading, playing volleyball and solving Rubik’s Cubes competitively.
I began my master in the AOS department at McGill in the fall of 2022. Prior to this, I completed my undergraduate studies at UQAM in Earth and Atmospheric sciences. I also had the opportunity to do research internships at UQAM and Ouranos mainly on winter precipitations. One of my most recent professional experiences is to do science popularization as a video-meteorologist at MétéoMédia. My master’s thesis will be supervised by Prof. Bruno Tremblay and Simon Bélanger, professor at UCAR. I will focus on understanding the biophysical processes trigger by sea ice lost in the Arctic and their impacts on phytoplankton production, more precisely in the Tallurutiup Imanga region. Other than my academic interests, I am probably the biggest Céline Dion fan you know and I never back down from a good karaoke night.
I am a PhD student at McGill AOS since 2019. Working with Profs. Yi Huang and Tim Merlis, I am currently investigating the spatial and spectral radiative forcing of carbon dioxide and their potential impact on climate change. Prior to PhD studies, I obtained BSc in physics from National Tsing Hua
Publications:
Chen, Y.-T., and C.-M. Wu (in press), The role of interactive SST in the cloud-resolving simulations of aggregated convection. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, doi: 10.1029/2019MS001762
I am a Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Bruno Tremblay. My research is in partnership with the Canadian Ice Service, which is part of the Meteorological Service of Canada under Environment and Climate Change Canada. I work in the Applied Science group. I am also co-supervised by Dr. Barbara Casati, (Meteorological Research Division of Environment and Climate Change Canada), and Dr. Adrienne Tivy (Canadian Ice Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada).
I received my MSc. from Queen's University in 2015 and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo in 2008. I also have a Diploma of Excellence in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Waterloo, 2008.
If a weather model correctly forecasts a thunderstorm, but gets the location wrong, then is it still considered accurate? What if a second weather model forecasts clear skies instead of the same thunderstorm? Is that model more or less accurate than the first? Arguably the first one is more accurate because it got the initial processes right—that is, unless you're at the thunderstorm's location without an umbrella. Then they're equally wrong. Now replace thunderstorm with sea ice, and that is the focus of my research.
Current verification metrics for measuring the accuracy of forecasts don't always measure the performance of these models spatially in a meaningful way. My research focuses on spatial verification and spatial metrics for sea ice models. From a broad perspective, I am interested in how we can assess the accuracy of spatial data. With specific application to sea ice, I am researching how we can compare sea ice forecasts against observations from a spatial perspective. I want to make new rulers that don't exist to measure in space and time.
My research projects include: 1. Assessing sea ice concentration estimates in sea ice charts. 2. Using spatial techniques to assess the accuracy of forecasted sea ice pressure in numerical models. 3. Investigating and developing new spatial verification techniques, with specific application to sea ice models.
University and MSc in atmospheric sciences from National Taiwan University. I was then working on convective aggregation development with a cloud-resolving model.
Maxim Coulliard
Maxim Couillard began his graduate studies at McGill in Fall 2022. His research interests include severe thunderstorms, mesoscale and mountain meteorology, numerical simulations, and forecasting. Maxim is a member of Frederic Fabry’s research group and is currently researching the impact of mountains on thunderstorms. Maxim leads the McGill Weather Forecasting Club teaching meteorology to students of all experience levels.
Maxim received his Bachelor of Science studying atmospheric science at the University at Albany May 2022. He worked on multiple research projects throughout his undergraduate career. Maxim was a member of the Long Island Sound Tropospheric Ozone Study (LISTOS) which analyzed meteorological impacts on ozone air pollution transport around New York City. His undergraduate senior thesis was on the October 2020 derecho, a damaging severe thunderstorm event. He synthesized surface and satellite observations with numerical simulations to create a case study report of the event.
Couillard, Maxim, "Observations and Analysis of the 7 October 2020 Derecho" (2022).
Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences. 25. https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/ honorscollege_daes/25.
Couillard, M. H., Schwab, M. J., Schwab, J. J., Lu, C.-H. (S.), Joseph, E., Stutsrim, B., et al.
(2021). Vertical profiles of ozone concentrations in the lower troposphere downwind of New York City during LISTOS 2018–2019. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 126, e2021JD035108. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035108.
Maxim Couillard is a recipient of the University at Albany presidential leadership – distinguished scholar award (2022), the presidential award for undergraduate research (2021 & 2022), the New York State SUNY chancellor’s award, and the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Science academic excellence award. He has presented his research at the American Meteorological Society and Northeast Storms Conference in 2022. Maxim is also an avid clarinetist, composer, and filmmaker with a passion for science communication. He has performed with numerous bands, orchestras, and chamber groups. For recreation, he enjoys board games, badminton, kayaking, and skiing.
I am a Ph.D. student in the department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at McGill University. I completed my undergraduate degree as a joint-major in Physics and Atmospheric Science, also at McGill University. In my current research, I am studying Arctic cloud feedbacks from the top-of-the-atmosphere perspective using model data, and from the surface perspective using observational data.
Victorine Daubies
Started at McGill August 2022, I got my bachelor in Bio-engineering at the UCL, Belgium. My research in the field oceanography under the supervision of David Straub
When the student started : Started her Master degree in 2021
Brief description of background : .
- I obtained a bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences with a specialization in Atmospheric Sciences at UNAM, Mexico.
Brief research description : .
- I did a three-month research internship at York University, which helped me decide to pursue a master's degree related to atmospheric sciences
Who the student is working with : Dr. Yi Huang
List of awards: Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship
When the student started McGill University in the fall of 2022.
Brief description of background
- I obtained an undergraduate BSc degree in physics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Brief research description
- My research is focused on modeling the dispersion of greenhouse gases in downtown Montreal
Who the student is working with: Dr. Djordje Romanic.
Madeleine Fol
I joined the AOS department in 2022 as master’s student under the supervision of Prof. Bruno Tremblay. After completing a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal, I’ve worked for two years in the industry as a Software Engineer. I will focus my research on the Last Ice Area located in Northern Canada and Greenland. In my spare time you will find me singing, sailing or both at once!
Dustin Fraser
TBA
I received my BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering with a strong focus on Urban Science from two prestigious universities in Iran (KNTU and TMU), and now, I am deeply honored to pursue my PhD at McGill University, worldwide renowned as a leading university. My PhD research focuses on the interactions between thunderstorm winds and urban environments using computational fluid dynamics and/or the climatology of winds. In addition, an experimental campaign in Montreal using wind profilers and other weather observing instruments will be a part of the project. Highlighting the importance of my project, I should indicate that our world is dramatically moving towards urbanization. Therefore, the aspect of Atmospheric Science that concentrates on the Urban Environment plays a pivotal role in providing humans with a more sustainable living environment and in making a brighter tomorrow for our exquisite planet. Hence, I am genuinely enthusiastic about following my ambitions and broadening my background knowledge in computation-based Urban Science by benefiting from this PhD program.
Several videos demonstrating my previous research studies in this field are available on my LinkedIn page:
www.linkedin.com/in/mohammad-hadavi-urbancfd
I graduated with a BSc in Meteorology and Climate from the University of Reading in the UK. My first exposure to meteorology was working with a mobile radiosonde launch site, which inspired my studies. I completed my MSc with Prof. Andreas Zuend in 2023 developing a particle-resolved cloud parcel model in Python, and am continuing with a PhD researching aerosols and cloud droplets in wildfire smoke.
Conferences Attended: CMOS 2023
Fun Fact: I am learning how to play the banjo!
Ruoge He
TBA
Zhicheng Jing
TBA
Hello!, I am Thomas Amo Kyeimiah, a first year MSc. student in McGill's atmospheric and oceanic sciences department. I started this year, fall 2022 semester.
Brief description of background
- I previously graduated from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, with a bachelor's degree in meteorology and climate science.
Brief research description
I am interested in high latitude climate research, the effects of climate change and variability, sea ice and its interannual variability, and so on.
Who the student is working with: Prof. Bruno Tremblay
List of awards
- Graduate Excellence Recruitment Award (Anti-Black Racism Initiative) - 2022-23 academic year
Frédérique Labelle
TBA
Aubert Lamy
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Tze Lee- Meng
I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and my Master’s degree in Atmospheric Sciences at Tsinghua University, China. Now, I am a PhD student co-supervised by Prof. Huang and Prof. Gyakum focusing on the downwelling radiation based on the observations on the ground near St. Lawrence River.
I am a Ph.D. student supervised by Prof. Yi Huang. After completing my undergraduate studies at Lanzhou University, I found my interest in radiation and remote sensing. This is what I will be focusing on and working on in Prof. Yi's group for the next few years
Jialin Liu
- I started my M.Sc. in early 2022
Brief research description
- . My research interest lies in mountain meteorology, on how terrain influences the atmosphere. I am currently working on differentiating the organization of shallow orographic convection.
Lei Liu
TBA
Shanhe Liu
TBA
Andres Lopez
TBA
I am a Ph.D. 5 student in the Synoptic Meteorology group supervised by Prof. John Gyakum. I started out in the master's program in 2019 but fast-tracked to the Ph.D. program in 2020. I previously also did my undergraduate studies at McGill's AOS Department. I am passionate about synoptic, mesoscale, dynamic, and radar meteorology and how they apply to weather forecasting. For my Ph.D., I am analyzing weather patterns and physical processes contributing to the onset and maintenance of long-duration extreme precipitation events in eastern North America. I also am a leader for McGill's Weather Forecasting Club and the local manager for the McGill team of the WxChallenge weather forecasting competition.
Publications:
Low, Y., J. R. Gyakum, and E. H. Atallah, 2022: Extreme Winter Precipitation Regimes in Eastern North America: Synoptic-Scale and Thermodynamic Environments. Mon. Wea. Rev., 150, 1833-1850, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-21-0255.1
Awards:
WxChallenge overall winner (2017-18, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 school years)
FRQNT Doctoral Scholarship (2021-2025)
Lorne Trottier Science Accelerator Fellowship (2019-2022)
FRQNT Master's Scholarship (2019-2021)
Fun fact:
I have a weather station and rain gauge at home. In addition to observing the weather, I also enjoy photography, birdwatching, and exploring new places.
Mathieu Noreau
TBA
Noémie Planat
TBA
Beatriz Caroline Porto Ghirardi
I am a Ph.D. student supervised by Prof. Yi Huang. I graduated with a B. Eng. in Environmental Engineering from the Sao Paulo State University in Brazil. My research focuses on the use of downwelling longwave radiance measurements from a ground-based remote sensing instrument to estimate the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Conferences attended: Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) 57th Congress
Negin Rezaei Nokandeh
I graduated with a Master of Meteorology from the University of Tehran with excellent grade on my thesis. During my master's I was funded by McGill University as a graduate trainee at Prof. Ariya’s group working on “ ground and satellite-based observation of PM2.5 and co-pollutants using different machine learning algorithms in warm and cold climate urban settings”. Before that, I was a bachelor's student in physics at the University of Guilan.
Fun facts: I love cooking, walking, and communicating as well as piano and scooter.
Benjamin Riot--Bretêcher
I am a PhD student in Prof. Huang group. My research aims at analyzing the downwelling longwave radiation at North Slope Alaska using the Extended-range Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer. I am a martial arts practitioner, nature lover and photography enthusiast.
When the student started : 2019
Brief description of background
- After finishing my bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from Université de Montréal and an M.Sc. in theoretical physics at the same university on the stability of thin shell negative mass bubbles in de Sitter spacetime, I joined Prof. Bruno Tremblay and the sea ice group as a Ph.D. student (in 2019) to study sea-ice modeling in the Arctic ocean.
Brief research description
- My current project focuses on improving statistical properties of deformations lines (linear kinematic features or LKFs) in the Arctic in sea-ice models. To do so, I developed a modified viscous-plastic model that includes a damage parametrization, and I am also developing a discrete element model of sea ice to study the relationship between the statistical and mechanical properties of sea-ice.
Who the student is working with: Prof. Bruno Tremblay
List of publication
- Johnson, M.C., Paranjape, M.B., Savard, A. et al. Stable, thin wall, negative mass bubbles in de Sitter space-time. Gen Relativ Gravit 52, 80 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-020-02732-9
- Johnson, M.C., Paranjape, M.B., Savard, A. et al. Stable, thin wall, negative mass bubbles in de Sitter space-time. In: Quantum Theory and Symmetries, Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium, Montreal, Canada (2021). Springer International Publishing, CRM Series in Mathematical Physics, p. 475-479, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55777-5
- Brunette, C., Le Guern-Lepage, A., Marquis, O., Planat, N., Savard, A. Trotechaud, S., The CCGS Amundsen: A Success Story in Arctic Oceanography, CMOS Bulletin SCMO (2021), https://bulletin.cmos.ca/the-ccgs-amundsen-a-success-story-in-arctic-oceanography/
List of awards
- September 2022 : British Antarctic Survey, "Damaging viscous-plastic sea ice", Cambridge, UK, (15 min talk)
- September 2022 : SIPW05 Mathematics of sea ice, "Damaging viscous-plastic sea ice", Cambridge, UK, (30 min talk)
- August 2022 : Year of Polar Prediction : Final Summit : "Damaging viscous-plastic sea ice", Montreal, (Poster Session)
- May 2022: PS130/2 cruise on the german icebreaker Polastern for an Echo sounding floating university, Atlantic ocean
- May 2022: ArcTrain Annual Meeting, "Modeling sea ice as disks", Jouvence, (Poster session)
- October 2021: ArcTrain Annual Meeting, "The effect of including damage on the scaling properties of the standard viscous plastic sea-ice model", Isle-aux-Coudres, (Poster session)
- July 2019: XIth International Symposium: Quantum theory and Symmetries, "Stable negative mass bubbles in de Sitter space-time", Montréal (60 minutes oral presentation)
- March 2019: SAPHARI, "Stabilité des bulles de masse négative dans un espace-temps de Sitter", Université de Montréal (Poster session)
My research is focused on the size dependent properties of atmospheric aerosol particles including their mixing states and geometric structures. I am interested in how these properties interact with cloud formation and the larger climate system. Prior to coming to McGill I earned a BSPH in Environmental Health Sciences and a MSc in Environmental Science and Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I also work as a Global Air Quality Fellow with the US Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and was an academic guest researcher at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
Selected Publications:
Schmedding, R. and Zuend, A.: A thermodynamic framework for bulk–surface partitioning in finite-volume mixed organic–inorganic aerosol particles and cloud droplets, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7741–7765, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7741-2023, 2023.
Awards Received:
FRQNT doctoral fellowship
MITACS GlobaLink Award
Graduate Mobility Award
Air and Wate Management Association Air Quality and Research Scholarship Award
Background description :
- I earned a BSPH in Environmental Health Sciences with minors in Chemistry & Biology from the University of North Carolina in 2018 and a MS in Environmental Science & Engineering in 2019 also from the University of North Carolina. I also have worked as an intern for the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards for the US Environmental Protection Agency. I also work as an Air Quality Fellow for the American Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. As part of this program I conduct research, participate in public outreach, and advise policy initiatives to reduce air pollution in Bishkek as part of the US Department of State's Greening Diplomacy Initiative.
The focus of my research
- on better understanding aerosol microphysical properties, such as bulk-surface partitioning non-spherical particle geometries, from a thermodynamic theory perspective and how said properties can influence cloud droplet formation.
PhD supervisor : Professor Andreas Zuend
List of Publications: (note that the last 3 papers were from my undergraduate and masters degree and not worked on at McGill).
- A Thermodynamic Framework for Bulk-Surface Partitioning in Finite Volume Mixed Organic-Inorganic Aerosol Particles and Cloud Droplets. (in Prep)
- Feasibility of the Chemical Characterization of Organic Aerosols in the Marine Boundary Layer from Filter Samples Collected on the Galápagos Islands. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry (in Review)
- Predicting Secondary Organic Aerosol Phase State and Viscosity and its Effect on Multiphase Chemistry in a Regional-scale Air Quality Model. Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics. 2020
- α-Pinene-Derived Organic Coatings on Acidic Sulfate Aerosol Impacts Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Isoprene in a Box Model. Atmospheric Environment. 2019
Awards received
- FRQNT - Bourse de Formation au Doctorat (2022)
- Graduate Mobility Award (2022)
- MITACS GlobaLink Research Award (2022)
- Air & Waste Management Association - Air Pollution Control and Waste Minimization Research scholarship (2021)
- MITACS Summer Research Traineeship (2020)
- CAOS Halloween Party - Best Costume Award (2021)
- Conferences Attended
- International Aerosol Conference and Exhibition 2022 - Athens, Greece
- Meteorology and Climate - Modeling for Air Quality Conference - 2021 - Virtual
- Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition - 2021 - Virtual
Fun Fact - After finishing my MS, I rode my bicycle from Boston to Vancouver for charity.
When the student started: Started his PhD program in 2019
Brief description of background: I earned two bachelor’s degrees:
- Chemistry (McGill 2015)
- Atmospheric Science (UQAM 2018)
Brief research description:
- My current research project involves improving the parameterization of physicochemical processes of atmospheric aerosols, such as gas–particle partitioning and liquid–liquid phase separation, in large-scale simulations of the atmosphere. I develop and implement thermodynamic aerosol models into 3-D chemical transport models.
Who the student is working with: My supervisor is Prof. Andreas Zuend.
List of conferences attended :
- The 1st GEOS-Chem Europe meeting (GCE1), September 2020
- AGU Fall Meeting (AGU20), December 2020
- The 10th International GEOS-Chem Meeting (IGC10), June 2022
Fun fact about themselves? I love German shepherd dogs.
When the student started: Started PhD in 2021
Brief description of background
- My research focuses on single molecule studying of atmospheric aerosol particles in the laboratory environment, by implementing optical trapping and Raman spectroscopy
Brief research description
- My research focuses on single molecule studying of atmospheric aerosol particles in the laboratory environment, by implementing optical trapping and Raman spectroscopy
- Who the student is working with Thomas C. Preston
Fun fact about themselves? My research focuses on single molecule studying of atmospheric aerosol particles in the laboratory environment, by implementing optical trapping and Raman spectroscopy
Zixuan Shen, MSc student in Prof. Zuend's group since 2021. I’m graduated in 2021 with a BSc degree in Atmospheric Science from Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology. My previous research was focus on optical hygroscopic parameters, aerosol characteristics in different regions. My future research interests will aim on atmospheric chemistry.
Publications:
SHEN Zi-xuan, XU Min, HU Bo, etc. Characteristics of hygroscopicity of atmospheric aerosols based on chemical component parameterization. China Environment Science.
Félix St-Denis
TBA
Arya Toghraei
TBA
Liora Vandergeest Goldring
TBA
Hi, my name is Elizabeth (Lizz) Webb. I am a PhD student working under both David Straub and Bruno Tremblay in the Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences Department. I previously recieved a Bachelor's in Mathematics and Statistics from McMaster University, and a Master's in Applied Math (Water) from the University of Waterloo. My current project focuses on the dynamics of Ekman pumping within the Beaufort Gyre.
Juliann Wray
TBA
I am Ruijia Yang, Masters student under the supervision of prof. Ivy Tan starting Fall 2022. I graduated in June 2022 with an Honours Physics degree from McGill University, where I completed a 2-semester research thesis course in the Brunner Neutrino Lab. My current research seeks ways to improve the representation of mixed-phase clouds in global climate models by implementing subgrid-scale cloud thermodynamic phase variability. I enjoy taking walks, playing piano and occasionally making crafts with 3D printing.
I obtained my Bachelor's and Master’s degree in atmospheric science at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology in China. My Master thesis was about analyzing the effect of sea-salt size distribution schemes on radiative models. Now I am a Ph.D. student supervised by Prof. Huang.