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Publications

Tippett, M.K., Malloy, K., and Lee, S.H. (2023). Modulation of U.S. tornado activity by year-round North American weather regimes. Mon. Wea. Review, in revision.

Malloy, K. and Tippett, M.K. (2023). A Stochastic Statistical Model for U.S. Outbreak-level Tornado Occurrence based on the Large-scale Environment. Mon. Wea. Review, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0219.1.

Malloy, K. and Tippett, M.K. (2023). ENSO and MJO Modulation of U.S. Cloud-to-ground Lightning Activity. Mon. Wea. Review, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0157.1.

Malloy, K. and Kirtman, B.P. (2023). Subseasonal Great Plains Rainfall via Remote Extratropical Teleconnections: Regional Application of Theory-guided Causal Networks. JGR: Atmospheres, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JD037795

Malloy, K. and Kirtman, B.P. (2022). The Summer Asia-North America Teleconnection and its Modulation by ENSO in Community Atmosphere Model, Version 5 (CAM5). Climate Dynamics, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06205-4

Malloy, K. and Kirtman, B.P. (2020). Predictability of Midsummer Great Plains Low-Level Jet and Associated Precipitation. Wea. Forecasting, 35, 215–235, https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-19-0103.1.

Mahoney, K., D. Swales, M.J. Mueller, M. Alexander, M. Hughes, and K. Malloy. (2018). An Examination of an Inland-Penetrating Atmospheric River Flood Event under Potential Future Thermodynamic Conditions. J. Climate, 31, 6281–6297, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0118.1.

Invited Talks

A Stochastic Statistical Model for U.S. Outbreak-level Tornado Occurrence based on the Large-scale Environment | Laboratoire de Science du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE)​ | January 2024

Subseasonal Great Plains Rainfall via Remote Extratropical Teleconnections: ​Regional Application of Theory-guided ​Causal Networks​ | AGU Early Career Science Seminar​ | March 2023

Predictability of U.S. Great Plains Summer Hydroclimate via ​Extratropical Teleconnections​ | Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) Ocean and Climate Physics (OCP) Seminar | February 2023

Subseasonal Great Plains Rainfall via Remote Extratropical Teleconnections: ​Application of Theory-guided ​Causal Networks​ | AGU Annual Meeting Session on S2S Prediction | December 2022

Predictability of ​ U.S. Great Plains Summer Hydroclimate via East Asian Monsoon-forced Teleconnection​ | NASA GMAO Seasonal Prediction Group | June 2022

Predictability of the Great Plains Low-level Jet and its Associated Precipitation​ | NMME Monthly Meeting | February 2020

Education

Ph.D.: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science | 2022
    Department of Atmospheric Sciences
    Thesis: Predictability of U.S. Great Plains Summer Hydroclimate via Extratropical Teleconnections
    Adviser: Ben P. Kirtman

B.S.: University of Maryland, College Park | 2017
    Honors College, Departmental Honors
    Atmospheric & Oceanic Science
    Minor: Geography-Remote Sensing of Environmental Change

Research Experience

Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Columbia University

August 2022-Present
Supervisor: Michael K. Tippett

  • Subseasonal-to-seasonal predictability of severe convective storm activity
  • Developed statistical model for cloud-to-ground lightning activity based on large-scale environment
    • Assess subseasonal-to-seasonal modulation of lightning activity
  • Constructed a submonthly tornado outbreak index that predicts probability of outbreak-level tornado given environment
    • Assess subseasonal-to-seasonal modulation of tornado outbreak activity
  • High-level experience writing python code for the development of empirical models, evaluating the model performance, investigating links with climate variability
    • Specific modeling techniques include (but not limited to): linear regression, Poisson Regression, logistic regression, random forests, artificial neural networks
    • Skilled in data preprocessing, feature selection, and model evaluation techniques to ensure the robustness and reliability of statistical models
    • Proficient with Python libraries for staticial modeling and machine learning prediction, including (but not limited to): scikit-learn, statsmodels, tensorflow
  • Oral presentation at 2023 European Conference on Severe Storms
  • Poster presentation at 2023 European Conference on Severe Storms

Graduate Research Assistant, Univ. Miami Rosenstiel School

Fall 2017-Present
Committee: Ben Kirtman, Amy Clement, Emily Becker, Brian Mapes, Hosmay Lopez

  • Predictability of summer U.S. hydroclimate on subseasonal-to-seasonal and interannual timescales via understanding of large-scale circulation responses and interactions between teleconnections
  • Using Python and creating Jupyter notebooks for reading and visualizing data
  • High-level spatiotemporal data analysis on:
    • NASA, ECMWF, and NOAA reanalysis and observational datasets (ERA5, MERRA-2, ERSST, NCEP/NCAR, etc.)
    • Community Climate System Model, v4 (CCSM4) forecast
    • Dry nonlinear baroclinic atmospheric model
    • Community Atmospheric Model, v5 (CAM5) output
  • Community Earth System Model (CESM1.2) and CAM5 setup, build, & conducted four different prescribed SST experiments, and mentored other graduate students on CESM process
  • Setup, write code for monsoon forcing, developed, and conducted idealized forcing experiments with a dry nonlinear baroclinic AGCM; created documentation, and mentored other graduate students; created scripts/functions for reading model output used by other graduate students
  • Build linear QG model that generates an upper-level mid-latitude response given a mean state (jet stream climatology) and forcing
  • Defended doctoral dissertation in May 2022
  • Oral presentation for 2022 AMS annual meeting
  • 1-hour Seminar for Dept. of Atmospheric Science at Rosenstiel School in November 2021
  • Oral presentation at 2021 AMS annual meeting
  • Oral presentation at Rosenstiel School Student Seminar series in 2019, 2020, 2021
  • Poster presentation at 2020 AMS annual meeting

Collaborator, PyWR, Weather Typing, and S2S Sources of Predictability Project

Summer 2022-Winter 2023
Project leads: Ángel Muñoz and Andrew Robertson

  • Project in collaboration with participants of NCAR Advanced Summer Program The Science of S2S Predictions PyWR and Weather Typing group and International Research Institute/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (IRI/LDEO) scientists
  • Applying weather typing via k-means clustering to explore summertime predictability of North Atlantic circulation and associated precipitation
    • Primary contribution – boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) and East Asian monsoon (EAM) as a source of predictability for summer weather types
  • Poster presentation for 2022 AMS annual meeting

Intern, NOAA Climate and Weather Prediction Center, Ocean Prediction Center

Fall 2016-Spring 2017

  • Building case study analysis of stratospheric air intrusion events and improving hurricane-force wind forecasts of extratropical cyclones in Atlantic Ocean using satellite imagery
    • Primary channels/products: Himawari-8 Airmass RGB product; AIRS, IASI, and ATMS/CrIS total column ozone; Himawari-8 Water Vapor (6.2 μm, 6.9 μm, 7.3 μm); ASCAT winds; AMSR winds; NUCAPS profiles of moisture and temperature
    • MERRA-2 Global Reanalysis time-averaged and instantaneous 3-hourly data for cross-sectional analysis
  • Give presentations or instructional kits to Alaskan Weather Forecast Offices and Ocean and Weather Prediction Centers
  • Working with GEMPAK/AWIPS software, Python language for analyzing/visualizing data, Linux/Unix environment
  • Research defended for senior thesis:
    • oral prospectus defense in Fall 2016
    • poster presentation in Spring 2017
  • Poster presentation at 2017 AMS Annual Meeting

Intern, NOAA Earth System Research Lab Physical Sciences Division (ESRL/PSD)

Summer 2016

  • Diagnosed case study of atmospheric river event by comparing “present-day” precipitation and moisture transport over western US with simulated “future” case using pseudo-global warming approach
  • Work with Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF) output to compare control (present-day) run with pseudo-global warming (future) run
  • Read papers about Community Earth System Model-Large Ensemble, which was run to produce delta moisture and temperature values to add to WRF
  • Oral presentation at NOAA Hollings Research Symposium
  • Poster presentation at 2017 AMS Annual Meeting

Intern, UC San Diego Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Summer 2015

  • Compared vertical profiles of Feb. 6th 2015 atmospheric river event using NCEP/NCAR Final Reanalysis model and dropsonde data
    • Wrote Matlab scripts to read and organize dropsonde and reanalysis data
    • Wrote Matlab scripts to plot vertical profiles of moisture flux and surface analyses of atmospheric river development
  • Simulated GPS radio occultation techniques (Doppler shift, bending angles, refractivity profiles)
  • Poster presentation at SIO SURF Student Symposium
  • Poster presentation at 2016 AMS Annual Meeting

Teaching Experience

Tutor for middle and high school students, mostly math and science | 2018-2022
Teaching Assistant for Data Analysis Methods (graduate course) | Spring 2020
Teaching Assistant for Weather Forecasting | Spring 2019
Teaching Assistant for Large-scale Atmospheric & Oceanic Dynamics | Spring 2017
Teaching Assistant for Atmospheric Thermodynamics | Fall 2016

Relevant Extracurriculars & Service

Co-founder, Writer, Editor, Seasoned Chaos blog about subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasting | Present
Lead Coordinator, Students for Students Outreach | Present
Mentor, Rosenstiel School Graduate-Undergraduate Mentoring (GUM) program | 2021-2022
Rosenstiel School Climate Group | 2017-2022
Rosenstiel School Marine Science Graduate Student Organization’s Sustainability Initiative | 2020-2021
Rosenstiel School Marine Science Graduate Student Organization’s Earth Week Committee | 2020-2021
Rosenstiel School New Student Orientation Committee | 2020
Creator, Rosenstiel School Seas by Degrees Video Seminar Series | March 2021
      Opening a Climate Scientist’s Toolbox: What is a Climate Model?
Rosenstiel School COMPASS Seminar Committee | 2019-2020
Presenter/Collaborator, Rosenstiel School Lunch Bytes Seminar Series | Spring 2019
SEGUE Student Reviewer (for UCAR Comet modules) | Fall 2019-Spring 2020
Rosenstiel School Atmospheric Science Dept. Student Ambassador | 2018-2019

Awards & Skills

  • Proficient in a wide range of modeling techniques, including:
    • Running state-of-the-art climate models to assess representation of climate dynamics/circulation and analyze long-term trends and large-scale climate variability
    • Building or running idealized climate models and designing experiments to investigate specific aspects of climate systems
    • Applying data-driven, empirical models to analyze and interpret climate data, identify patterns, and make predictions
  • Excellent writing skills and overall science communication skills (by medium of oral presentations, writing, video-making, interviews)
  • Involvement in many extracurricular and community organizations, including taking on leadership positions
  • Attended the 2021 NCAR Advanced Summer Program “The Science of Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Predictions” Colloquium and Workshop
  • Participated in 2022 AMS Short Course on Machine Learning for Environmental Sciences
  • Tutoring and teaching experience from middle school to graduate level
  • Experience in reviewing journal articles (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1989-7490)
  • Runner-up for 2020-2021 Rosenstiel School Student Seminar Best Presentation Skills award
  • Finalist for Rosenstiel School Outstanding Outreach Award
  • Languages (in order of proficiency): Python, Matlab, Shell, Git Bash, Fortran, Markdown/HTML, NCAR Command Language (NCL), C
  • Software/Operating Systems (no particular order): Linux/Unix, Git Bash, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)
  • Involved in Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence literature reading group with some experience in applying to climate data
  • Gave software and programming seminars to Rosenstiel School colleagues through “Lunch Bytes” program
  • Accepted into 2020 Swiss Climate Summer School (canceled because of COVID-19)
  • Attended Summer 2018 Weather and Climate Extremes NCAR Tutorial/Workshop
  • 2017 University of Maryland Undergraduate Researcher of the Year
  • 2017 University of Maryland Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar
  • 2017 Richard Jordan Scholar (for atmospheric & oceanic science senior thesis presentations)
  • 2016-2017 Outstanding Student Service in Atmos. & Oceanic Science Department
  • 2014-2017 Jeffrey & Lily Chen Scholar (for atmospheric & oceanic science majors)
  • 2015-2016 NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholar