About me

No two journeys are the same. Here is mine.

I was born in Poland and moved to the United States at the age of 13, by myself. I knew some English but didn't feel comfortable to speak it for several months. I attended The Ursuline School in Scarsdale, NY for one year and subsequently enrolled in the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase. Working two, sometimes three, jobs on top of a full-time school load allowed me to pay for college and remain in the United States. As a senior at SUNY Purchase, I researched clear air turbulence utilizing British Airways in-flight data, under the guidance of Professor Joel Tenenbaum. I graduated from SUNY Purchase at 18 with a B.S. in mathematics and a minor in physics.

In 1997, I started Graduate School at the University of Washington (UW). For five years I had the gift of not having to worry about multiple jobs and whether I would be able to remain in the United States, as I only needed to do research and take graduate school classes. I researched convectively generated gravity waves with M. Joan Alexander and James Holton as my advisors. At UW I also developed my passion for Education and Outreach and teaching. I coordinated the Department of Atmospheric Sciences' outreach activities, was the Lead Teaching Assistant, and while writing my PhD dissertation I tutored kids at a homeless shelter. 

In 2002 I started my career at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO, first as a visitor and subsequently a postdoctoral researcher. After a short Education and Outreach fellowship at University Colorado, I returned to NCAR in 2006 as a Scientist. Between 2007 and 2014 I worked very much part-time, and even temporarily left my job, to spend time with my kids.

Currently, I am a Special Projects Lead to the NCAR Director, leading NCRA's efforts in Earth System Predictability across timescales.