Austin Reed (BS, 2021)

Austin Reed is a 2021 graduate of the atmospheric and oceanic sciences program at SoMAS who continued his education after Stony Brook to pursue his goal of becoming a meteorologist and climate scientist. He just earned his Ph.D. in Climate Dynamics at George Mason University in the summer of 2026. He is now beginning a Postdoctoral position at the University of Helsinki in Finland, where he will be working on a part of the European Union’s Destination Earth initiative.

During his Ph.D. at George Mason University, Austin researched how extratropical cyclones, the large weather systems responsible for much of our day-to-day weather, have changed over the past six decades in a warming climate. His findings showed that an increased amount of atmospheric moisture, a consequence of global warming, can intensify these storms in the Pacific Ocean, but not in the Atlantic Ocean. This highlights how climate change can affect weather systems differently across regions.

His passion for atmospheric sciences began with Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Experiencing the storm’s impacts firsthand in his hometown led him to see the importance of preparing for extreme weather events, which inspired him to pursue meteorology. At Stony Brook, Austin became an active member of the Meteorology Club, where he made connections and participated in various conferences within the weather community. He also conducted undergraduate research with Dr. Kevin Reed’s Climate Extremes Modeling Group, studying extreme precipitation events on Long Island and their relationship to tropical cyclones.