CW3E Welcomes Dr. Julia Shates

April 10, 2026

Julia joined CW3E in May 2026 as a Remote Sensing and Atmospheric Scientist after her postdoctoral fellowship at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. She earned her PhD and MS in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her BS in Earth System Science from the University of California, Irvine. A primary focus of her PhD research was understanding the variability of clouds, precipitation, and phase transitions at mid-and high-latitude sites to improve detection and quantification of snow and rain. In her postdoc position at JPL, Julia investigated ice microphysics in convective environments and winter storms using in-situ and radar observations, and forward modeling tools to test microphysical assumptions in simulated reflectivities.

Julia leverages observations from different sources, including ground-based, aircraft and satellite radars, and in-situ measurements, to examine micro-and macro-physical characteristics of clouds and precipitation. In her role at CW3E, Julia will be working on quantitative precipitation estimation with radar observations from the Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information (AQPI) program.