Roger M. Wakimoto

Dr. Wakimoto served most recently as assistant director for the National Science Foundation Directorate for Geosciences (2013–17) leading a division with an annual budget of approximately, $1.3 billion in support of core research in the atmospheric and geospace, polar, earth and ocean sciences.

A former member of the UCLA atmospheric sciences faculty (1983–2005), Dr. Wakimoto served as department vice chair (1993–96) and chair (1996–2000). He subsequently served as director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Earth Observing Laboratory (2005–10) and director of NCAR (2010–13), a federally funded research and development center with a staff of approximately 750 devoted to service, research and education in the atmospheric and related sciences. He also held an appointment as research full professor with the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

Dr. Wakimoto is an atmospheric scientist specializing in research on mesoscale meteorology, particularly severe convective storms and radar meteorology. He has written or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed papers and served on various committees, panels and boards for organizations including the NSF, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the American Meteorological Society, for which he currently serves as president. He has received several awards and honors, including a scientific and technical achievement award from the Environmental Protection Agency for observations of air pollution, and the Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award from the American Meteorological Society for his contributions to understanding mesoscale weather events. He received a B.S. in meteorology from San Jose State University and a Ph.D. in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago.