Thomas Jones, Research Scientist (CIMMS/NSSL)
Background:
Ph.D. Meteorology, University of Alabama – Huntsville (2006)
M.S. Meteorology, University of Oklahoma (2002)
B.S. Meteorology, University of Oklahoma (2000)
Experience:
Thomas was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he was fascinated by the April 10, 1979 tornado. He grew up wanting to learn more about the weather, which eventually led him to pursue his degree in meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. He would go on to earn both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in the same field. During his graduate studies, Thomas wrote his Master’s thesis on radar-derived mesocyclone climatologies. His Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Alabama – Huntsville focused on improving statistical hurricane intensity forecast models using passive microwave satellite observations. He remained in Huntsville until 2010 as a research scientist. There, he used satellite observations to measure aerosol radiative impacts, studied aerosol indicate effects on clouds and precipitation, and tracked smoke plumes with radar data. He particularly enjoyed writing the paper “Polarimetric radar observations of an apartment fire,” which was published in the Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology in 2009.
What He Does:
Thomas returned to Norman in 2010 as a research and teaching associate with OU CIMMS. He is part of the Warn-on-Forecast group with NSSL, working to develop an improved system for hazardous weather warnings. In his research, Thomas assimilates high-resolution clear-sky and cloudy satellite observations into high-resolution Numerical Weather Prediction models. He is currently looking into opportunities to integrate radar and satellite observations into a combined observation data set.
Trivia:
Thomas enjoys gardening, home improvement projects, fixing old clocks, and playing poker. He is a big fan of IndyCar racing, and tries to attend at least one race per year.