Ryan D Harp

My name is Ryan Harp and I am the current Ubben Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern and pleased to be working alongside Dr. Dan Horton in the Climate Change Research Group. My research primarily focuses on the intersections of climate and human health, though I’m broadly interested in the societal impacts of climate variability and change. Check out my research page to learn more about what I'm currently working on.

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In my projects, I combine weather and climate observations, reanalyses, and global climate model output with a variety of societal data sets to advance our knowledge of interactions between the human and earth systems. I’m a strong proponent of interdisciplinary work and my aim is to produce knowledge that can be used to the benefit of humanity, such as the implementation of disease early warning systems. Alongside the health and societal impacts of climate, my other research interests include seasonal to interannual climate variability and their predictability,  and changing precipitation and hydrologic patterns.

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Before joining the Climate Change Research Group, I completed my M.S. and Ph.D. in atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Oceans and Climate Lab under the advisement of Dr. Kris Karnauskas. In addition, I earned a graduate certificate in science and technology policy at the recently closed Center for Science and Technology Policy Research. Prior to moving to Colorado, I completed my B.S. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double major in atmospheric and oceanic sciences and psychology. I’m also passionate about science communication and science policy. When I'm not donning my metaphorical lab coat, I enjoy sports like running, hiking, and skiing, photography, playing games with friends and family, and spending time with my wife and cat.