Biographies

Zhien Wang
Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

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Biography:
Dr. Wang’s research interests include remote sensing of atmospheric variables from satellite-borne, airborne, and ground-based active and passive sensors through both retrieval algorithm and instrumentation developments. Since his Ph.D. research, he developed several ground-based multi-sensor retrieval algorithms for liquid, ice, and mixed-phase clouds identification and retrieval and applied them to the long-term DOE/ARM measurements to better understand cloud physics. He further adapted these multi-sensor retrieval algorithms for A-Train based observations, which are available as a part of CloudSat standard products. Moreover, he led the development of single-aircraft integrated cloud observation capability based on the NSF/NCAR C-130 and University of Wyoming King Air by combining airborne lidar, radar, and radiometer observed within situ cloud and aerosol observations. He developed airborne Raman lidar systems to profile PBL water vapor, temperature, and aerosol/clouds structures simultaneously at high spatial resolutions, which transform our PBL observation capability. His ongoing research efforts are the retrievals of mixed-phase cloud physics properties with A-train satellite-based and DOE/ARM ground-based multi-sensor observations, the characterization of tropical convective cloud variations with CloudSat, CALIPSO, MODIS, and other passive satellite measurements, and the observations of PBL structures around and within convective storms with airborne Raman lidars.