John Chiang

John Chiang is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in climate dynamics, climate change, ocean-atmosphere interactions, and paleoclimate.12 He has been a faculty member at UC Berkeley since 2001, starting as an Assistant Professor and progressing to his current role as Professor in July 2015.1

Education and Career

Chiang completed his B.Sc.(Hons) in Physics and Mathematics from the University of the Witwatersrand (1988-1992), followed by an M.S. in Physics from Cornell University (1992-1995), and a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University (1996-2000).1 Before joining UC Berkeley, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington.1

Research Focus

His research primarily focuses on:

1. Climate dynamics of the large-scale atmosphere
2. Interactions between the atmosphere and ocean/land systems
3. The role of tropical climate in the global climate system
4. Climate variability and change over the 20th century
5. Past climate changes, including the mid-Holocene and Last Glacial periods2

Chiang has published numerous highly cited papers on topics such as the influence of high-latitude ice cover on marine Intertropical Convergence Zone, tropical tropospheric temperature variations caused by ENSO, and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.3

Teaching and Academic Contributions

At UC Berkeley, Chiang teaches courses on Earth Systems Science, Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics, Climate Dynamics, and Communicating Climate Science.4 His research and teaching contribute significantly to the understanding of global climate systems and their changes over time.