Pierre Gentine

MAURICE EWING AND J. LAMAR WORZEL PROFESSOR OF GEOPHYSICS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND PROFESSOR OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

842D S.W. Mudd

Tel(212) 854-7287

Pierre Gentine investigates the continental hydrologic cycle using multi scale modeling and big data (machine learning, remote sensing, high-resolution turbulent simulations) in the context of rising CO2 concentrations. Gentine hopes to answer questions such as what will be the future of droughts and extreme dryness/precipitations, and how will they impact agricultural production?

Research Interests

Hydrologic cycle, land-atmosphere interactions, turbulence, convection, soil moisture

Pierre Gentine received his undergraduate degree from SupAéro, the French National Aeronautical and Space Engineering School in Applied Mathematics in Toulouse, France. He obtained a MSc and PhD in civil and environmental engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2006 and 2010, respectively. He joined the faculty of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Applied Physics at Columbia Engineering in 2010.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Director, National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center (STC) Learning the Earth with Artificial intelligence and Physics (LEAP), Columbia University, 2021-
  • Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professor of Geophysics, Columbia University, 2021-
  • Full Professor, Columbia University, 2021-
  • Faculty member, Earth Institute, Columbia University (by nomination), 2018-
  • Faculty member, Data Institute, Columbia University (by nomination), 2018-
  • Tenured Associate Professor, Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, 2017-
  • Associate Professor, Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, 2016-2017
  • Junior faculty, Earth Institute, Columbia University (by nomination), 2013-2017         
  • Assistant Professor, Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, 2011-2016   
 

HONORS & AWARDS

  • American Geophysical Union (AGU) Macelwane medal (2022)
  • Fellow, American Geophysical Union (AGU) (2022)
  • National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center (STC) award (2021)
  • Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel endowed professorship (2021)
  • European Research Council Synergy Award (2019)
  • Columbia University nominated candidate for the 2019 Blavatnik award
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU) 
    Global Environmental Change Early Career Award (2017)
  • American Meteorological Society (AMS) Clarence Meisinger Award (2017)
  • Invited scientist at ECMWF (European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecast - 2016)
  • NSF CAREER award (2016)
  • Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career award (2015)
  • NASA New Investigator Program (early career) award (2014)     
  • Excellence in refereeing – Geophysical Research Letters (2013)
  • Invited professorship award – Wageningen University (2013)
  • Invited professorship award – Ecole Normale Superieure (2012)
  • Shoettler fellowship MIT (2004-2006)

 

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • Green J., Konings A., Kolassa J., Alemohammad H., Entekhabi D., Gentine P., Hotspots of biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks, (2017), Nature Geo
  • Konings A., Williams P., Gentine P., (2017), Sensitivity of grassland productivity to aridity controlled by stomatal and xylem regulation, Nature Geo; doi:10.1038/ngeo2903
  • Anber U., Gentine P, Wang S., Sobel A.H., (2015) Fog and rain in the Amazon, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 112 (37), 11473-1147
  • Salvucci, G. D., and P. Gentine (2013), Emergent relation between surface vapor conductance and relative humidity profiles yields evaporation rates from weather data, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi:10.1073/pnas.1215844110.
  • Findell, K., P. Gentine, and B. Lintner (2011), Probability of afternoon precipitation in eastern United States and Mexico enhanced by high evaporation, Nat Geosci, 4(7), 434–439,doi:10.1038/NGEO1174.