THIS PAGE WAS LAST UPDATED October 9, 2024.
As Hurricane Milton heads to Florida’s Gulf Coast, below are hurricane experts at Columbia University’s Climate School who can help journalists cover the story. Feel free to contact scientists directly or if you need more help, contact Kevin Krajick, senior editor for science news: kkrajick@climate.columbia.edu or Caroline Adelman, associate director for strategic communications: cadelman@climate.columbia.edu.
Suzana Camargo, professor of ocean and climate physics at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of the Columbia Climate School, is an expert on hurricanes and cyclones, their genesis, intensity and their relationship to climate, from intra-seasonal to centennial time scales. Suzana@ldeo.columbia.edu / 845-365-8640
Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia Climate School where he oversees the operations and strategic planning for the center. He also leads projects related to the practice and policy of disaster preparedness and response. His areas of expertise include public health preparedness, community resilience, and the integration of private and public sector capabilities. js4645@columbia.edu / 212-853-NCDP
Andrew Kruczkiewicz is a senior staff associate with the Columbia Climate School. He integrates remote sensing into early warning systems for extreme events and works with the humanitarian, development and disaster management sectors, including Red Cross, World Food Programme and World Bank. Andrew conducts research on extreme weather and climate events focusing on both individual hazards, such as cyclones, floods and other hydrometeorological hazards, as well as compound events.ajk2207@columbia.edu / 212-854-9896
Radley Horton is a professor at Columbia University’s Climate School and has done a wide variety of interdisciplinary work on the physics of storms, their interaction with climate and socioeconomic risk factors, especially in coastal areas. He has advised the mayor of New York City and the U.S. president on climate and weather risks and is involved in a wide variety of interdisciplinary studies including managed retreat and extreme heat. rh142@columbia.edu / 212-678-5649
Jason Smerdon is a professor of climate at the Columbia Climate School whose research focuses on climate variability and change during the past several millennia and how past climates can help us understand future climate change. He teaches courses on climate, environmental change and sustainable development to undergraduate and graduate students. jsmerdon@ldeo.columbia.edu / 845-365-8493
Chia-Ying Lee is a Lamont associate research professor for ocean and climate physics, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), part of the Columbia Climate School. She uses models to study typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes, along with drought, and their relationship to climate change and cycles such as El Niño/La Niña. cl3225@columbia.edu / 845-365-4420
Adam Sobel, atmospheric scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, heads the university’s Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate. Author of a book on Hurricane Sandy, he has studied a wide variety of topics, from hurricane physics to related social issues. Ahs129@columbia.edu / 212-854-6587