FIU professor honored with NSF CAREER award


Ping Zhu’s research focuses on hurricane forecasting and mitigation by studying hurricane boundary layers.

Dr. Ping Zhu

An atmospheric scientist in FIU’s Department of Earth Sciences, Ping Zhu has been recognized by the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program as a teacher and scholar who effectively integrates research and education.

“I am very grateful for all the support from the Department of Earth and Environment and International Hurricane Research Center,” Zhu says. “Without their support, I wouldn’t be able to carry out my research.”

CAREER is a Foundation-wide initiative that offers the NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career development. Only about 400 scientists are honored nationally each year.

As part of the award, Zhu received a $750,000 grant meant to build a firm foundation for a lifetime of integrated contributions to research and education.

“Research and teaching are intimately connected,” Zhu says. “They should never be treated as two completely different things.”

The grant will be used for supporting graduate and undergraduate students at FIU as well as extending the existing computational facility and equipments for conducting hurricane research, and promoting education and outreach to the local community.

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