Sundar Christopher

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT SUNDAR CHRISTOPHER

Dr. Christopher received his PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from Colorado State University. He holds a Master\'s degree in Meteorology from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM & T) and a Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has served in numerous leadership positions at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. From August 2007-May 2014, he served as Associate Director of the Earth System Science Center. He served as Chairman of the Department of Atmospheric Science from 20••••14. He served as Dean of the College of Science from 20••••19. He is currently Professor, Director of Institute of Remote Sensing Applications, and co-director of the Laboratory for Applied Sciences. Dr. Christopher\'s research interests include satellite remote sensing of clouds and aerosols and their impact on air quality, environment, health, and global and regional climate. He has published more than 125 peer reviewed papers in national and international journals including several review papers related to aerosols, air quality and the climate impacts of aerosols. Through his leadership roles Dr. Christopher has worked in complex organizational roles to lead change by developing strategic initiatives and implementing those initiatives in a changing academic environment. Dr. Christopher is widely regarded as an effective mentor to students, faculty, and staff and works to develop careers in an inclusive, collaborative environment. In both his administrative and technical leadership roles he has applied methodical and efficient approaches to solve problems. He is known for his business acumen by efficiently managing budgets and information resources. In 2011, The American Geophysical Union (AGU/Wiley Press) published his book titled Navigating Graduate School and Beyond : A Career Guide for Graduate Students and a Must Read for every Adviser. In 2019, AMS/Chicago Press published his book for early career faculty titled \"Navigating Tenure and Beyond : A guide for early career faculty\". In 2024 he published an academic leadership book titled \"Navigating Academic Leadership: How to Succeed as a Department Chair at a Research University\".He has been invited to speak at major venues including the World Federation of Scientists (Erice, Sicily) and the United Nations Symposium in 2007 (Graz, Austria). He has won several million dollars in numerous grants and contracts from NASA, NOAA, and other federal agencies for studying earth-atmosphere processes.