Husile Bai
Ph.D. & Climate Scientist
I am a climate scientist specializing in global teleconnections, large-scale dynamics, and surface-atmosphere interactions. Currently, I serve as an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Earth and Environmental sciences at Vanderbilt University.
My previous work involved studying glacier dynamics using the ICEPACK model, developed by Daniel Shapero at the Polar Science Center, University of Washington. I also explored the impacts of glaciers and ice on atmospheric circulations and hydroclimate patterns at local and regional scales through the NASA HiMAT project. Additionally, I contributed to the MAGIC project, where I examined alpine glaciers’ mass balance, their effects on global sea level rise, and the broader socioeconomic implications.
My Ph.D. research under Prof. Courtenay Strong in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah focused on (1) the influence of summertime atmospheric teleconnections on the North American Dipole (NAD), particularly in understanding how monsoonal and tropical convection drives large-scale climate circulations that impact continent-wide bird irruptions and forest seed masting; (2) the changes in mid-latitude Rossby waves under future climate scenarios, which result in seasonal shifts of the NAD pattern; and (3) the interaction between climate and episodic or periodic biological-ecological events, such as the 10-year cyclic population dynamics observed in boreal seed-eating finches.