Chris Thorncroft, PhD

Biography

Dr. Christopher Thorncroft is Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center and a Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, both at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He is also the Director of the Center of Excellence in Weather and Climate Analytics and of the New York State Mesonet. The NYS Mesonet, a network of 126 automatic weather stations throughout NYS, supports applied research for the economic benefit of NY State through key weather observations in support of protection of life and property. Dr. Thorncroft is Co-principal Investigator of the National Science Foundation funded Artificial Intelligence Institute, The Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography (AI2ES).

Dr. Thorncroft’s research is mainly focused on improving our understanding of the nature and variability of atmospheric weather systems with a special emphasis on tropical weather systems over West Africa and how they impact Atlantic tropical cyclones. His work emphasizes improving knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of high-impact weather systems through analysis of observations and modeling. Current research also includes an emphasis on the nature and causes of extreme weather variability in North-East US that includes a contribution from land-falling hurricanes.

Dr. Thorncroft is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and was recently awarded the 2023 American Meteorological Society Joanne Simpson Tropical Meteorology Research Award. He received his PhD in Meteorology from the University of Reading, UK.

Research Interest

•  Studying the West African Monsoon and the Atlantic tropical cyclone