Welcome!

I am a climate scientist specializing in dynamics and impacts of large-scale climate variability and change.

I have a broad interest in understanding the multi-scale interactions of the Earth system, encompassing the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and land surface. Additionally, I explore the societal implications of climate teleconnections and their effects on regional climates and extreme events. Leveraging our understanding of the physical mechanisms governing these interactions, we aim to enhance our ability to predict future climate changes and their impacts. For more details on my research, see Research and Publications.

My tools include theoretical approaches, statistical analysis, machine learning and hierarchies of climate modeling, ranging from simple models to the state-of-the-art earth system models.

Interests
  • Climate Dynamics and Predictability
  • El Niño–Southern Oscillation
  • Pantropical Climate Interactions
  • Atmospheric Waves & Teleconnections
  • Paleoclimate
Education
  • PhD in Meteorology, 2016

    Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • BS in Atmospheric Sciences, 2011

    Lanzhou University

Professional Experience

 
 
 
 
 
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, UH Mānoa
Associate Researcher
Oct 2025 – Present Hawaii, USA
Research on the fundamental climate dynamics with societally relevant applications in sea-level prediction and climate resilience.
 
 
 
 
 
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
Associate Editor
May 2025 – Present
 
 
 
 
 
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, UH Mānoa
Assistant Researcher
Nov 2021 – Sep 2025 Hawaii, USA
Research on the tropical climate dynamics and sea-level science with Prof. Fei-Fei Jin, Prof. Philip Thompson, Prof. Christina Karamperidou and Prof. Malte Stuecker
 
 
 
 
 
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, UH Mānoa
Postdoctoral Fellow
Oct 2016 – Oct 2021 Hawaii, USA
Research on ocean-atmosphere coupled dynamics for El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and its diversity, tropical interbasin interactions, and seasonal predictions under the supervision of Prof. Fei-Fei Jin
 
 
 
 
 
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Research Assistant
Sep 2011 – Jul 2016 Beijing, China
Research on the dynamics of atmospheric teleconnections and Rossby wave propagation on a horizontally non-uniform basic flow under the supervision of Prof. Jianping Li

Contact

Sen Zhao