Weather & Climate Services - Employee Profiles

Dr. Yan Hao, Physical Oceanographer

Dr. Yan Hao has a PhD in Physical Oceanography. She is experienced with coastal forecasting using various regional ocean modeling and storm surge models, which are critical in coastal zone natural hazards prediction. She has developed advanced model verification and evaluation tools to assess operational ocean and coastal forecasting model performance. Dr. Hao has published in various peer reviewed journals and has strong problem solving skills in ocean and coastal modeling.

Dr. Le Jiang, Chief Scientist

Dr. Jiang has a PhD in Earth System Science and a Minor in Computer Science, with an emphasis on remote sensing and hydrometeorology in water resources research and applications. He has strong interdisciplinary knowledge and has developed sophisticated science data application systems. Dr. Jiang has also led a significant science and technical team (with 80+ scientists and analysts) on satellite remote sensing algorithms development and environmental modeling in support of NOAA. He has served in NSF proposal- review panels and is an active peer reviewer for multiple leading earth science journals.

Mr. John Jones, Consulting Meteorologist

Mr. Jones retired from the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) in July 2007, after a 35 year career with the NWS. As the NWS Deputy Director between 1998 and 2007, Mr. Jones oversaw the NWS national modeling and prediction centers and an observation network that included 160 weather radars and over 130 weather forecasting offices and river forecasting centers. Mr. Jones played a key role in the modernization of the NWS Doppler radar network, automated surface observation system (ASOS) network, and forecast office structure and staffing. He also served as a councilor to both the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. Mr. Jones led U.S. delegations to the World Meteorological Organization and the Group on Earth Observations, and was also the Chair of the U.S. Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program from 2005-2007. He has visited six African countries and is the Chair of the International Development and Advocacy Committee for the African Center of Meteorological Application for Development.

Dr. Jianjun Xu, Sr. Atmospheric Scientist

Dr. Jianjun Xu has a PhD in Meteorology and an MS in Atmospheric Science. He is an expert in climate change research, numerical modeling, and satellite data assimilation to improve numerical weather prediction skills. He has over 80 peer review publications, presentations, and reports on various frontier topics in the above areas. He also serves as an active peer reviewer for multiple leading journals in atmospheric sciences, climate, and hydrometeorology. Dr. Xu has the strong capability to tackle challenging research issues with his broad and in-depth knowledge.