HMEI-STEP Topic: Integrating climate and disease modeling to forecast airborne disease risk

HMEI-STEP Adviser: Jessica Metcalf

Thesis Topic: Effects of sea surface salinity and climate change on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation

Thesis Adviser: Gabriel Vecchi

I am a PhD candidate in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. My primary thesis work explores relationships between ocean salinity and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), to better predict extreme ENSO events and how they may change in a warmer climate. This work incorporates climate models, ocean in-situ and satellite observations, and machine learning. My proposed HMEI-STEP project aims to develop forecasts of infectious disease risk related to ENSO and other climate variability by integrating climate and disease modeling.