Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at the University of Illinois has been at the forefront of research and education in the atmospheric sciences since its inception in 1982. The internationally recognized faculty perform research with global reach on weather and climate phenomena. Most recently, the team have investigated clouds in the Southern Ocean, intense thunderstorms in Argentina, and clouds and aerosol near the Philippines. The other area of focus is the significant use of high-performance computing and sophisticated weather and climate models. The modelling applications range from global temperatures and extreme precipitation, to hurricanes, to thunderstorms and tornadoes.

A fundamental mission of the University of Illinois Department of Atmospheric Sciences is to provide comprehensive educational opportunities for graduate students through direct participation in the advancement of our scientific understanding of the atmosphere. We offer a unique and varied program of graduate training and research, built around the fundamental scientific tools of our discipline: observation, modeling and theory.

DAS had its beginnings in 1969 with the arrival of Professor Yoshimitsu Ogura to the University of Illinois campus. Professor Ogura was recruited from Japan by Illinois to establish a Laboratory for Atmospheric Research (LAR) within the Graduate College. Since then, Department of Atmospheric Sciences moved to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and established a reputable undergraduate degree program.