Deanna Hence
As knowledge about our atmosphere and its various phenomena progresses, the frontier of research will be at the interfaces: within the atmosphere, at the various time and space scales that weather occurs; and between the atmosphere and the things, and people, that it interacts with.
Prof. Hence’s atmospheric research interests span the formation and inner workings of various convective cloud systems across the tropics and mid-latitudes, with a focus on how they organize on various size scales and how they are impacted by changes in their surroundings. Complimenting her scientific interests, she is passionate about science communication and policy, especially around high impact, hazardous weather and their impacts on infrastructure and human health. She actively leads in efforts around bring multiple disciplines together to investigate problems around sustainability and resilience, with a goal towards engaging in community-driven science.
Graduate Students
Jeff Thayer – PhD Candidate
Jeff came to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to pursue graduate studies in Atmospheric Sciences in Fall 2015. Prior to graduate school, he attended the University of Washington where he obtained a B.S. degree in Atmospheric Sciences with a concentration in Meteorology. Jeff’s current research focuses on the multi-scale mechanisms governing convective organization during the passage of the convective envelope of an MJO observed during the DYNAMO field campaign, and how these processes are impacted by the development of tropical cyclones.
His research interests include synoptic and mesoscale meteorology, organized convection, tropical meteorology, severe weather and radar meteorology.