Biography

Dr. Noah Diffenbaugh’s research interests are centered on the dynamics and impacts of climate variability and change, including the role of humans as a coupled component of the climate system. Much of his group’s work has focused on the role of fine-scale processes in shaping phenomena such as extreme weather, climate-vegetation feedbacks, atmospheric forcing of the coastal ocean, and Holocene climate variability. His group’s work has also focused on the potential impacts of greenhouse-induced climate changes on natural and human systems, including on water resources, agricultural pests, premium wine production, human health, and poverty vulnerability. 

Dr. Diffenbaugh serves on the Executive Committee of the Atmospheric Sciences Section of the American Geophysical Union, and as an Editor of Geophysical Research Letters. He has provided scientific briefings to State and Federal lawmakers, and was a author of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program assessment (2008). His work has been featured widely in the national and international media, including CBS News, NBC News, CNN News, The Weather Channel, Voice of America, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Business Week, and The Observer. In 2006, Dr. Diffenbaugh received the James R. Holton Award from the American Geophysical Union, recognizing outstanding research contributions by a junior atmospheric scientist.