David Thompson – Professor

Email: davet@atmos.colostate.edu
Research and teaching website

Education 

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences – 2000 – University of Washington, Seattle
• M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences – 1998 – University of Washington, Seattle
• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering – 1994 – University of Colorado, Boulder

Research Interests

My research and that of my students is focused on improving our understanding of large-scale climate variability. Our approach is to 1) identify novel aspects of the climate system in observations and 2) test hypotheses motivated by our observational analyses in a hierarchy of numerical models, including simple balance models, idealized general circulation models and output from coupled Earth system models. My research interests include a range of phenomena and processes, including:

• large-scale atmospheric dynamics
• coupling between dynamics and radiative processes
• coupling between dynamics and chemistry
• the role of cloud radiative effects in the atmospheric circulation
• atmosphere/ocean interactions
• the analysis and diagnosis of large-scale climate variability
• polar climate
• anthropogenic climate change

Visiting Scholar/Fellow/etc.

• 2019 – Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel
• 2018 – Universities of Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido
• 2015-2016 – ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2014 – University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
• 2012 – DLR, Munich, Germany
• 2010 – UNSW, Sydney, Australia
• 2009 – Bjerknes Centre/University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
• 2008 – University of Reading, Reading, UK
• 2008 – NIWA, Lauder, New Zealand
• 2007 – BMRC, Melbourne, Australia
• 2004-2005 – NIWA, Lauder and Wellington, New Zealand

Awards and Honors

• 2014 – selection for Geophysical Research Letters 40th Anniversary Collection
• 2008 – Meisinger Award, American Meteorological Society
• 2006-2008 – Monfort Professorship, Colorado State University
• 2006 – Popular Science Brilliant 10
• 2006 – Abell Outstanding Early-Career Faculty Award, Colorado State University
• 2005 – Charney Lecturer, American Geophysical Union
• 2004 – James B. Macelwane Medal, American Geophysical Union
• 2004 – Fellow, American Geophysical Union
• 2003 – NOAA OAR Outstanding Scientific Paper Award
• 2001 – National Science Foundation, Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER)
• 1999 – NASA Earth System Science Fellowship