Research Group


22808915923_d5bd6aaa9f_o
Anthony Didlake, Jr.

Dr. Anthony Didlake, Jr. joined the faculty of the Department of Meteorology at Penn State University in January 2016. Prior to joining the Meteo department, Dr. Didlake completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the NASA Postdoctoral Program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He received his B.S. in Geology and Geophysics from Yale University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington.

 


Jacob Carstens

Jake joins the group as a postdoctoral scholar (co-advised with Prof. Colin Zarzycki), after earning his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Meteorology from Florida State University. In graduate school, Jake’s research used idealized models to study tropical cyclone development and convective organization. While at Penn State, his work focuses on how climate models capture wind shear-induced asymmetries in hurricanes. Jake strives to eventually become a professor, stemming from his passion for teaching and mentorship. Jake’s website


Nicholas Barron

Nick received his B.S. with honors in physics from Cleveland State University. Here, he participated in atmospheric science research focusing on understanding the physics of shallow cumulus clouds. This experience inspired him to receive formal training in atmospheric science as a Ph.D. student at Penn State. His research now applies statistical concepts to further understanding of rainbands in tropical cyclones.

 
 
 


Bruno Rojas

Bruno is originally from Miami, FL, where tropical cyclones sparked an interest in meteorology from a young age. He received his B.S. in meteorology from SUNY Oswego and conducted research on eyewall replacement cycles using various remote sensing instruments, including satellite microwave imagery, airborne doppler radar, flight-level winds, and spaceborne optical lightning detectors. His Master’s work was on secondary eyewall asymmetries using airborne radar data. Currently he is working with a novel ice crystal trajectory growth model to study microphysical asymmetries in hurricanes.

 


Katriella Tenembaum

Katriella received her A.A. with honors from Montgomery College in General Studies – STEM. She went on to get her B.S. with high honors in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science and a minor in History from University of Maryland – College Park. Her undergraduate research involved tropical cyclone data assimilation using a toy model. Her research is now on using modeling to explore extreme precipitation events.

 


Andreas Sandino

Andreas received his B.S. in bioengineering from Oregon State University while also taking atmospheric science courses. Although he lived most of his life in Portland, OR under persistent stratus clouds, his interest in weather phenomena piqued at a young age through his travels. His undergraduate research was centered around an extreme weather event that brought heavy rainfall to the west coast. He used WRF to produce simulations based on real atmospheric conditions from the past 40 years.

 


Max Katsouros

Max is an Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) student at Penn State University, and is simultaneously working towards his B.S. and M.S. in Meteorology. His passion for the weather stems from his firsthand experience with severe weather while living in Iowa many years ago. That passion remained with him after moving to the State College area 12 years ago, motivating him to study it at Penn State. While at Penn State, he has worked on two undergraduate research projects in boundary layer meteorology, and is now switching over to a project on analyzing tropical cyclone dynamics using simulations from the Penn State WRF-EnKF data assimilation system for his Master’s thesis research. He is co-advised with Prof. Xingchao Chen.

 


Matthew Varela

Matthew is originally from Round Rock, Texas. He received his B.S. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma and graduated Magna Cum Laude. He has conducted research on a variety of topics including tropical cyclone risk perceptions, heat bursts, severe weather outreach, and air quality monitoring during the Penn State Climate Science REU program. Matthew’s Master’s work will be using an ice crystal trajectory model to look at the microphysical properties of hurricanes.

 


Tyler Landsparger

Tyler is a current undergraduate student at Penn State University pursuing his B.S. in Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences. Though he was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado, about 1500 kilometers away from the nearest coastline, he has a lifelong passion for tropical cyclones. Tyler joined the research group through the Penn State Climate Science REU program in 2022, during which he worked on a rainband identification algorithm with Nicholas Barron and Dr. Didlake. He is currently continuing this rainband identification research as part of his undergraduate thesis.

 


Former Students
Chelsey Laurencin

Ph.D. dissertation (2023): Development and Applications of a Novel Ice Crystal Trajectory Growth (ICTG) Model
Current affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
website

Justin Stow

M.S. thesis (2022): Analyzing the Structural Variability of Eyewall Replacement Cycles in WRF Ensemble Simulations
Current affiliation: Tokio Marine HCC, Atlanta, GA

Chau Lam (Chris) Yu

Ph.D. dissertation (2020): The Role of Asymmetric Rainband Processes in Secondary Eyewall Formation in Tropical Cyclones
Current affiliation: Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY
website

Katharine Wunsch

M.S. thesis (2018): Analyzing Tropical Cyclone Structures During Secondary Eyewall Formation Using Aircraft In-situ Observations
Current affiliation: Pattern Energy Group LP, Houston, TX

Cameron Chuss

B.S., Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, 2023. Current affiliation: Graduate Student, University of Hawai’i at Manoa

Skip to toolbar