Xuguang Wang Receives American Meteorological Society Earth System Predictability Prize

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NORMAN, OKLA. – Xuguang Wang, Ph.D., has been awarded the Jagadish Shukla Earth System Predictability Prize from the American Meteorological Society (AMS). The award is presented to researchers who have significantly advanced the fundamental understanding of the predictability of Earth as a system and its practical application to forecasting across various time scales for the betterment of society.

Wang received the prize for “outstanding contributions to both theoretical development and operational implementation of novel data assimilation methods that have enhanced predictability of global, hurricane and convective-scale models,” according to the AMS award citation.

“Earth System Predictability is one of the grand challenges facing all societies. Dr. Wang's achievements in this area are recognized by the global scientific community and this is now formally recognized by the American Meteorological Society,” said Berrien Moore, Ph.D., dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences. “This acknowledgement of Dr. Wang’s achievement is a great honor of the School of Meteorology and OU as a whole.”

Wang is a Presidential Research professor and Robert Lowry Chair professor in the School of Meteorology. She is the director of the Multi-scale data Assimilation and Predictability Laboratory in the School of Meteorology, and the lead PI and director of the newly formed multi-university Consortium for Advanced Data Assimilation Research and Education (CADRE), a $6.6M effort from NOAA to advance data assimilation research and workforce development.

“I hope this AMS prize can help promote community-wide recognition and activities in data assimilation research and education,” said Wang. “I am very honored to receive this award.” 

This is not the first time the AMS has acknowledged Wang’s contributions to the field of meteorology. In 2023, she was awarded the Weather Analysis and Forecasting Distinguished Scientific or Technological Accomplishment Award by the Scientific and Technological Affairs Commission’s Committee of the organization. She was named one of the most influential researchers in the world by PLUS Biology in 2020. She was also the recipient of a NASA New Investigator Award.

Wang has served on numerous national and international scientific committees, teams and advisory boards. She was invited to serve as a co-lead for the Priorities for Weather Research study mandated by the U.S. Congress and delivered the PWR report in 2021. She is an elected member of the NOAA Science Advisory Board Environmental Information Services Working Group. She made a transformative change for the collaboration between academia and U.S. government operation centers, which enables Research-to-Operations-to-Research (R2O2R). In her role as a professor, she has advised numerous master’s and doctoral students as well as more than 20 postdoctoral fellows. She has given numerous invited talks and keynote speeches.

She will be formally presented the Jagadish Shukla Earth System Predictability Prize at the 105^th AMS Annual Meeting in January 2025 in New Orleans. 

Learn more about Wang’s research and her MAP Lab.