Faculty Recognition

While in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the °µÍø½ûÇø, our world-class faculty have been nominated to become fellows and received numerous awards from the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Academies of Sciences (NAS), along with other major national and international organizations. We celebrate this success and congratulate our faculty on their many achievements.

Fellowships in Professional Societies

American Association for the Advancement of Science

  • Cora Randall

American Meteorological Society

  • John Hart
  • O. Brian Toon
  • Peter Pilewskie
  • Julie Lundquist
  • Weiqing Han
  • Katja Friedrich
  • Darin Toohey

American Geophysical Union

  • Cora Randall
  • O. Brian Toon

Academic and Research Excellence – National and International Awards

  • Jeffrey B. Weiss (2026): Bassi Fellowship at Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change), Italy
  • Jennifer E. Kay (2025): AGU Atmospheric Sciences Ascent Award
  • Xinyue Wang (2024): NASA Group Achievement
  • Kris Karnauskas (2024): AGU Atmospheric Sciences Section, Turco Lectureship
  • Julia Moriarty (2023): Department of Energy Early Career Award
  • O. Brian Toon (2022): Global Peace and Health Award from the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility
  • Alexandra Jahn (2022-2023): Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship for experienced researchers, Germany
  • Sebastian Schmidt (2022): Leibniz Professorship at the University of Leipzig, Germany
  • Jennifer E. Kay (2021): Clarivate/Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher, Cross-Field Category
  • Nicole Lovenduski (2019): AGU Ocean Sciences Section Early Career Award
  • Cora Randall (2019): AGU Space Physics and Aeronomy Section, Marcel Nicolet Lecture
  • Alexandra Jahn (2019): NSF CAREER Award
  • Jennifer E. Kay (2018): AGU Atmospheric Sciences Section, Turco Lectureship
  • Darin Toohey (2018): NASA Group Achievement
  • Weiqing Han (2017): Contributor to the International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment and Technology, which won the CHOICE Book Award for Outstanding Academic Title in 2017
  • Kristopher Karnauskas (2017): AGU Ocean Sciences Early Career Award
  • Jan Lenaerts (2017): AGU Cryosphere Early Career Award
  • Nicole Lovenduski (2018): NSF CAREER Award
  • Nicole Lovenduski (2018): NAS Kavli Fellow
  • Jennifer E. Kay (2016): AMS Henry G. Houghton Award for "the innovative use of observations and global climate models to better understand the rapidly evolving climate of the polar regions"
  • Jennifer E. Kay (2016): NSF CAREER Award
  • Julie Lundquist (2016): NSF CAREER Award
  • O. Brian Toon (2014): AMS Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal for "fundamental contributions to understanding clouds and aerosols in Earth and planetary climates"
  • Julie Lundquist (2013): American Wind Energy Association, Women of Wind Energy Rising Star
  • Baylor Fox-Kemper (2011): AGU Ocean Science Early Career Award
  • O. Brian Toon (2011): AGU Roger Revelle Medal
  • David Noone (2010): NSF CAREER Award
  • Weiqing Han (2009): NSF CAREER Award
  • Linnea Avallone (2003): NASA Group Achievement Award
  • O. Brian Toon (2003): NASA Group Achievement Award
  • O. Brian Toon (2002): Highly Cited Researchers Award, ISI Thomson Scientific for being "one of the most highly cited, influential researchers in Geosciences"
  • Linnea Avallone (2001): NASA Group Achievement Award
  • Frank Evans (2001): AMS Henry G. Houghton Award, "for perceptive conceptual advances in theory, measurement, and three-dimensional modeling of radiative transfer in cloudy skies"
  • Linnea Avallone (2000): Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
  • Linnea Avallone (1999): ÌýNSF CAREER Award
  • John Hart (1997): AMS Verner E. Suomi Award for “fundamental contributions to meteorology and oceanography through innovative laboratory studies of geophysical fluids.â€
  • Linnea Avallone (1996): Environmental Protection Agency Early Career Award
  • Frank Evans (1996): NASA New Investigator Award
  • John Hart (1995): NSF Special Creativity Award for laboratory studies of rotating stratified fluids
  • Darin Toohey (1993): NASA Group Achievement Award
  • Darin Toohey (1992): NSF Young Investigator Award
  • Darin Toohey (1989): NASA Group Achievement Award
  • O. Brian Toon (1989): NASA medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement for research on the ozone hole
  • Darin Toohey (1987): Procter and Gamble Award, American Chemical Society, Division of Physical Chemistry
  • John Hart (1986): NASA Special Achievement Award for successful flight of the Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell experiment on the space shuttle Challenger
  • O. Brian Toon (1985): Leo Szilard Award for Physics in the Public Interest, the American Physical Society, for research on nuclear winter
  • O. Brian Toon (1983): NASA medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement for studies of the climates of Earth and the planets

Academic and Research Excellence – National and International Service

  • Nicole Lovenduski (2023): NAS, committee member Independent Study on Potential Environmental Effects of Nuclear War
  • Andrew Winters (2022): Outstanding service as Associate Editor of Monthly Weather Review, a journal of the AMS
  • Peter Pilewskie (2022): NAS, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on Earth Sciences and Applications from Space (CESAS)
  • Darin Toohey (2013): Recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme Ozone Secretariat "for valuable contributions and efforts in the Scientific Assessment Panel". This service is essential to the scientific community's role in meeting provisions of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, and as the award states, "Protecting our atmosphere for generations to come".

Academic and Research Excellence – University of Colorado

  • Donata Giglio (2025): Research & Innovation Office Faculty Fellow
  • Julia Moriarty (2025): Research & Innovation Office Faculty Fellow 
  • Carl Hager (2024): Marinus Smith Award for Teaching at CU Boulder
  • Kris Karnauskas (2024): Research & Innovation Office Faculty Fellow 
  • Nicole Lovenduski (2023): Provost's Faculty Achievement Award
  • Aneesh Subramanian (2023): Research & Innovation Office Faculty Fellow 
  • Jan Lenaerts (2021): Graduate School's Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
  • Cora Randall (2020): °µÍø½ûÇø Distinguished Professor
  • O. Brian Toon (2020): Graduate School's Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
  • Katja Friedrich (2019-2020): CU Excellence in Leadership Fellow
  • John Cassano (2019): CU Boulder Faculty Assembly Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarly, and Creative Work
  • Derek Brown (2019): ÌýActive Learning Academy Fellow
  • Melissa Nigro (2018): Chancellor Award for Excellence in STEM Education
  • Jennifer E. Kay (2018): Provost's Faculty Achievement Award
  • Julie Lundquist (2018): Graduate School's Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
  • Cora Randall (2017): Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence Award
  • Derek Brown (2016): Faculty Teaching Excellence Program Fellow
  • Derek Brown (2015-2016): Transforming Education, Supporting Teaching and Learning Excellence (TRESTLE) Scholar
  • O. Brian Toon (2013): Distinguished Research Lecturer
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