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Pouya Vahmani

Research Scientist

My NameBadge

Building 084, Room 0359

M/S 74R316C

Phone: 510-486-5128

pvahmani@lbl.gov

Curriculum Vitae

  • Education
  • Experience
  • Awards
  • Professional Affiliations
  • Scholarly Service
  • Skills
  • Teaching Experience

Biography

Dr. Pouya Vahmani is an Urban Environmental Scientist in the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division (CESD) in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL, Berkeley Lab) with expertise in urban hydro-climate modeling, climate change at regional and local scales (dynamical downscaling), extreme weather, and climate adaptation. His research uses a range of numerical models including regional climate models, land surface models, urban canopy models, building energy models, and hydrological models, informed by rich remotely sensed and ground-based observations to further the scientific understanding of critical elements in achieving sustainable development.

His recent research themes include process-based urban hydro-climate modeling with applications in flood risk management and ground water recharge in cities, extreme heat and energy demand in cities, municipal water conservation and heat mitigation, and heat mitigation and climate adaptation in urban areas. Before Berkeley Lab, he was a research associate at the University of Southern California (USC), where he focused on the interactions between regional climate and urban heat mitigation and water conservation strategies as well as utility of satellite-based information in the regional climate modeling frameworks.

Prior to USC, Dr. Vahmani was a NASA fellow and a graduate student in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he got his PhD in Hydrology and Water Resources (major) and Atmospheric Sciences (minor). Dr. Vahmani has also been a visiting scholar in University of California Irvine (UCI) and Colorado School of Mines.

Research Interests

The overarching goal of my research is to understand the impacts of human activities on the Earth's energy and water cycles. My research has been focused on the effectiveness of different heat mitigation strategies (e.g. cool roofs), climatic consequences of water conservation measures (e.g. drought tolerant vegetation), and impacts of urban irrigation on the climate at a regional scale. The tools that I use include urban canopy models, regional climate models, land surface models, and remote sensing of urban areas. Currently, I am employing a satellite-supported regional climate modeling framework over California to investigate the consequences of global climate change and land use change on the climate of major metropolitan areas and to evaluate different mitigation and adaptation strategies, for these regions.

Education

  • PhD, Hydrology and Water Resources Eng., University of California, Los Angeles, 2014, Thesis: "Modeling and Remote Sensing of Urban Land-Atmosphere Interactions with a Focus on Urban Irrigation”
  • M.S., Environmental Engineering, California State University of Los Angeles, 2010
  • B.S., Civil Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman (Iran), 2006

Experience

  • Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 2019-Present
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 2016-2019
  • Postdoctoral Scholar and Research Associate, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 2014-2016
  • Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, Los Angeles, 2010-2014
  • Graduate Student Researcher, California State University of Los Angeles, 2009-2010

Awards

  • Early Career Enrichment Program (ECEP) participant, Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 2020
  • The Berkeley Lab’s Top Science Story of 2019: Cool Roofs Can Help Shield California’s Cities Against Heat Waves, 2019
  • Nominated for Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Early Career Award by Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, 2019
  • IAHS Best Early Career Scientist Paper Award, the Gothenburg Assembly, 2013
  • NASA Earth System Science Fellowship (NESSF), University of California, Los Angeles, 2012; 2013
  • Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship, the Center for Energy and Sustainability/California State University, Los Angeles, 2010
  • Special Recognition in Graduate Studies, CSULA 2010 Honors Convocation, 2010
  • Outstanding Poster Presentation Award in Engineering, 2010 CSULA Student Symposium, 2010
  • Graduate Student Fellowship, the Center for Energy and Sustainability/California State University, Los Angeles, 2009
  • Graduate Student Scholarship, Shahid Bahonar Uni. of Kerman (Iran), 2006
  • First Ranked Graduating Student in Civil Eng. Class, Shahid Bahonar Uni. of Kerman (Iran), 2006

Professional Affiliations

  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • American Meteorological Society (AMS)
  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Scholarly Service

  • Reviewer for: PLOS ONE, Earth's Future, Geophysical Research Letters; Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres; Science of the Total Environment; Remote Sensing; Urban Climate; Urban Forestry & Urban Greening; Journal of Hydrology; Climate; and Sustainability

Skills

  • Strong background in Regional Climate Modeling, Urban Climate, Land Surface Modeling, Urban Canopy Modeling, Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, Remote Sensing, Environmental Eng., Hydrometeorology, Hydrology, and Water Resources
  • Expertise in MATLAB, Fortran, Unix/Linux, HTML, and CSS
  • Could operate effectively with ArcGIS, MODFLOW, AutoCAD, and Microsoft Office

Teaching Experience

  • Guest Lecturer: Climate change and air pollution, Civil and Environmental Engineering, USC, California, Winter 2015
  • Teacher Assistant: Introduction to Water Resources Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UCLA, California, Winter 2011
  • Structural Engineer, ANM Eng. Inc., Sherman Oaks, California, 2008-2009
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