Polvani Named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Professor Lorenzo Polvani has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in the Section on Atmospheric & Hydrospheric Sciences.

Polvani is the Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences, and Senior Research Scientist at the Lamont Doherty-Earth Observatory, Columbia University.

Polvani's research encompasses many aspects of atmospheric and climate dynamics, including the physical response of the climate system to increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide, the chemistry and dynamics of the stratosphere, Arctic and Antarctic climate change, and past and future climate impacts related to the Montreal Protocol. He is particularly interested in quantifying and distinguishing the effects of anthropogenic forcings from natural climate variability. He also retains an interest in geophysical fluid dynamics, and occasionally dabbles in planetary atmospheres.

Polvani earned Bachelor and Master degrees in Physics from McGill University, and a Doctorate in Physical Oceanography from the MIT/Woods Hole Joint Program in 1988. He was an Instructor in Applied Mathematics at MIT before joining Columbia University, where he has been teaching for over 25 years. He has received several teaching awards including the Best Teacher of the Year from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates, and the Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award from the Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science's Alumni Association. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society.