Sylvia Dee is an assistant professor and climate scientist at Rice University specializing in atmospheric modeling, water isotope physics, and paleoclimate data-model comparison. She completed her undergraduate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with certificates in Geological Engineering and Environmental Sciences at Princeton University, and her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California Earth Sciences department. She previously held postdoctoral fellowships at the UT Institute for Geophysics and Brown University.
Sylvia's research projects include topics in climate modeling and climate of the past millennium, using general circulation models (GCMs) and proxy system models (PSMs) to explore the dynamics of the tropical climate system.
Sylvia is the developer of the water isotope-enabled, fast-physics atmospheric dynamical model, SPEEDY-IER, and a public platform for proxy system modeling development, PRYSM. This modeling platform allows for multi-centennial simulations of common era climate with water isotope physics, which, coupled with proxy system models for proxy records, facilitates the comparison of model output to paleoclimate data.
email: sylvia.dee@rice.edu
Dr. Isabelle Bunge is a postdoctoral scholar at Rice. Her research interests include
climate change and human health. She completed her Ph.D. at Columbia University.
https://isabellebunge.owlstown.net/
email: ib28@rice.edu
Dr. Michelle Gore is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Rice University. Her research explores the complex relationships between climate extremes and human health, aiming to inform adaptive strategies in a changing world. Michelle holds a Ph.D. in Meteorology and Atmospheric Science from Pennsylvania State University, having previously completed her master's and undergraduate degrees at the University of Cape Town.
website: https://michellegore.owlstown.net/
email: mjg23@rice.edu
Dr. Yingying Feng is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Rice University. Her research focuses on isotope-enabled approaches to understanding paleo and modern climate dynamics, using climate modeling, observations, and proxy-based reconstructions.
She earned her Ph.D. from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
email: yf52@rice.edu
Dr. Andrew Flaim is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Rice University. He completed his PhD at Washington University in St. Louis with Dr. Bronwen Konecky. His research uses paleoclimate proxies and global climate models to investigate patterns of hydroclimate variability over the last millennium, through the industrial transition, and in projections of future change.
Email: af106@rice.edu
Dr. Chris Hancock is a postdoctoral scholar at Rice. He completed his Ph.D. at Northern Arizona University working with Dr. Nick McKay. His research interests include using paleoclimate data-model comparison and ensemble climate simulations for the U.S. to understand hydroclimate changes at various timescales.
https://clhancock.shinyapps.io/Website/
email: ch188@rice.edu
Dr. Mampi Sarkar is a Research Scientist I in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Rice University. Her research focuses on rain evaporation, cloud microphysics, and the atmospheric moisture cycle using satellite observations, field campaigns, and climate models. She is interested in stratocumulus-to-cumulus cloud transitions, warm rain processes, and isotopic modeling. Mampi holds a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Miami and has previously held research positions at NCAR, Boulder and the University of Houston.
email: ms377@rice.edu
Kelsey Murphy is a fourth-year Ph.D. student at Rice working in the Climate Lab. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is a Boston native. Her research explores the evolution of the Mississippi River basin's large-scale hydrology over time.
email: kam23@rice.edu
Jiayue Yin is a first-year Ph.D. student at Rice, working in the Climate Lab. She graduated from Nanjing University with a Master's degree in Atmosphere Science. She is currently working on a project using water isotope-enabled climate models to evaluate U.S. climate change in the past, present, and future.
Erika Adjei is a first year Master’s student at Rice University, working in the Climate and Water Lab. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied Environmental Policy and Environmental Science. Her undergraduate research investigated African hydroclimate evolution since the Last Glacial Maximum using climate model experiments. She is excited to begin her studies at Rice this fall!
Andrew is a first year Ph.D. student studying the impacts of ENSO on tropical cyclones and tropical overturning circulations viewed via water isotope tracers. He graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown where he performed research studying the magmatic evolution of anorthosite bodies in Northern Idaho. Andrew previously conducted research in the Climate and Water lab at Rice as an REU student, and is excited to continue working towards climate science for solutions!
Sidhika is a Master's student in the Climate Lab at Rice. She graduated from Swarthmore College with a double degree in Computer Science and Environmental Studies. Sidhika is passionate about combining computational methods with climate science to study its impacts effectively.