CW3E Welcomes Dr. Melissa Piper

September 2, 2026

Melissa joined CW3E in August 2026 as a Postdoctoral Scholar. Prior to joining CW3E, she received a B.S. in Meteorology from Iowa State University (2020), a M.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University at Albany, SUNY (2022), and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University at Albany, SUNY (2026). During her Ph.D., Melissa worked under CW3E affiliate Dr. Ryan Torn verifying precipitation forecasts from global and regional models for landfalling tropical cyclones in CONUS using object-oriented verification methods. An assessment of storm-total precipitation forecasts for CONUS landfalling tropical cyclones from 2018 to 2024 is published in Weather and Forecasting (Piper and Torn 2026). In addition, Melissa examined the predictability of high-error forecasts using ensemble-based sensitivity analysis and object-based methods. Beyond her studies, Melissa has been heavily involved in the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) Board on Student Affairs Student Conference Planning Committee where she served as co-chair of the 2024 and 2025 AMS Student Conferences.

At CW3E, Melissa’s postdoctoral research will involve an ensemble analysis and forecast verification of a high-impact precipitation event in the Northeastern United States. Melissa is excited to contribute to CW3E and apply her skillset to atmospheric river and precipitation science.