Faculty Spotlight: Suzana Camargo, plasma physicist turned extreme weather expert
Suzana Camargo is Marie Tharp Lamont Research Professor, Columbia Climate Institute Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
Suzana Camargo’s distinguished career has spanned continents and fields of study. Originally from Brazil, Camargo studied physics at the University of São Paulo, then traveled to Germany to earn a PhD at the Technical University of Munich and conduct research at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.After studying plasma physics for several years, Camargo made the bold decision to move to New York City and join Columbia University’s International Institute for Climate and Society In 1999, Camargo began her hurricane project—a project she thought might last a year or so. The rest, she said, is history. More than 20 years later, Camargo’s main research focus is on still a hurricane.
Suzana Camargo currently teaches “Sustainability in the Face of Natural Disasters” at the school Master of Science in Sustainability Programby the School of Professional Studies and Columbia Climate School.
Did you always know you were interested in atmospheric science? How have your past experiences influenced your research interests?
Growing up, I have always loved mathematics. Then, as a teenager, I got interested in programming, which was very new at the time. In a family of many engineers, engineering seemed to be the natural path, but it didn’t seem like a good fit for me, so I ended up choosing physics. All of my degrees (BSc, MSc, PhD) were in physics, which gave me a good foundation to explore many different fields. All of my research, starting as an undergraduate, through my PhD and postdoc, and up to being an early career professor in Brazil, was in plasma physics—especially turbulence in plasma physics. Therefore, I have expertise in fluid dynamics, programming, modeling and turbulence. This skill set made it possible for me to transition into atmospheric science and climate research when I started working at Columbia University.
What made you switch from studying plasma physics to atmospheric science?
I started working at Columbia University in 1999. At the time, the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) was just getting started, and they gave me the opportunity to work there and start doing climate research. Switching between fields was not easy because I had a lot to learn and I was already a well-known scientist in plasma physics. However, it was the best option for my family because we decided to move to the US at a time when there was a big layoff in plasma physics which prevented me from finding a position in my original field. After a year at IRI, I started working on a project on hurricanes that I thought would be my focus for a year or so. As they say, the rest is history. More than 20 years later, my primary research focus is still on hurricanes. It’s a fascinating topic, and I enjoy researching topics that are directly relevant to society.
You joined Columbia University in 1999. How has your research focus changed over the years?
The first project I led in this field was the development of seasonal forecasts of tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons) using climate models. Over time, I broadened my focus to study climate influences on tropical cyclones on different timescales, from subseasonal (2-4 weeks) to longer-term climate variability, and even paleoclimatology. I’m also involved in studying the impact of other extreme events (such as precipitation), various climate phenomena such as monsoons, and even volcanoes on climate. Over the past few years, our group has focused on climate risk, not only in terms of hazards, but also social vulnerability and economic impacts.
Since 2021, you are an Academic Ambassador for the American Meteorological Society’s Council on the Advancement of Hispanics and Latinos (CHALA). Can you share more about the group’s mission and your involvement?
Since I am originally from Brazil, it was important to me to ensure that Hispanic and Latino scientists were represented and supported in the United States. I also like to keep in touch with the Brazilian scientists and make sure to interact with them at the conference. So it was a natural choice to serve as an Academic Ambassador on the CHALA committee on representation, accessibility, inclusion and diversity. This committee has been doing some amazing work, like helping to create Spanish-language weather translation resources so the US Weather Service can easily issue forecasts in both English and Spanish, which is very important for the large Spanish-speaking population in the United States. I co-authored the first paper, with some other members of the CHALA committee, that analyzed statistics on current Latino student populations at academic institutions offering atmospheric science programs in the United States. Much work remains to be done to attract more Latino studies into the field!
Why do students take your class? What will they learn from the course?
“Sustainability in the Face of Natural Disasters” provides students with a foundation in the multifaceted aspects of disasters, with a particular focus on understanding the hazards that cause them, while also discussing other important aspects, such as preparedness and response. I want students to be prepared to analyze the level of risk due to the different hazards that could affect them, especially if something goes wrong with their work. I hope they are also prepared to make important decisions about the risks in their own lives, from where they decide to live to whether they should evacuate in the event of a hurricane.
