UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Paul Markowski, distinguished professor of meteorology, has been named head of the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State, effective July 1. Markowski will take over departmental duties from David Stensrud, professor of meteorology, who has served as department head since 2014.
“It will be both exciting and a privilege to lead such an assembly of world-renowned scholars in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, and I am humbled and honored to serve as the next head,” said Markowski. “I look forward to promoting the educational and professional development of our undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff.”
Markowski, a leading expert on supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes, and his research group study the dynamics and prediction of convective storms and their attendant hazards using cutting-edge observations, computer simulations and theory.
“I look forward to working closely with Paul in his new role,” said Lee Kump, John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. “Dave provided superb leadership in his tenure as head and I have great confidence that the department will continue to prosper under Paul’s leadership.”
Markowski has published more than 100 articles on topics that include thunderstorm formation, the origins of rotation in severe thunderstorms, tornado formation, the effects of terrain on storms, and what regulates the development of damaging straight-line winds in long lines of thunderstorms.
“I am delighted that Paul Markowski will be the next department head,” said Stensrud. “He is a world-renowned researcher as well as an excellent teacher and adviser for our students. I have no doubt that Paul will be a tremendous leader for our department.”
Markowski was elected as a fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in 2019. He also co-organized the Second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) in 2009 and 2010, served as the chief editor of AMS’ Journal of Weather and Forecasting from 2012 to 2017, and currently serves on the President’s Advisory Committee on University Relations for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
Markowski has been recognized for his research with a number of awards and honors: the AMS Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award in 2015 for “advancing knowledge about the genesis of tornadoes through a rich mix of observations, theory and numerical modeling,” the National Weather Association’s T. Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award in 2013 for “incisive research directly applicable to operational forecasting which has allowed significant advances in our understanding of and forecasting tornadic and non-tornadic thunderstorm environments,” and the European Severe Storms Laboratory’s Nikolai Dotzek Award in 2011 for “outstanding contributions to the science of severe storms.”
Markowski joined Penn State’s faculty as an assistant professor in 2001. He was promoted to associate professor in 2007, to professor in 2012, and was named a distinguished professor in 2021. Markowski previously served as associate head for the graduate program in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science and as the faculty partner for the Penn State men’s golf team.
Markowski received his doctoral degree in 2000 and his master’s degree in 1997, both in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma, and his bachelor's degree in meteorology from Penn State in 1996.