The Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) at the University of Chicago is proud to announce that Dan Cziczo, a leading expert in atmospheric aerosols and cloud formation, will join CSEi as a Professor of Geophysical Sciences later this spring.
Currently a professor at Purdue University, Cziczo brings extensive expertise in how small particles in the atmosphere interact with water vapor to form the droplets and ice crystals that comprise our clouds. Cziczo helped pioneer experimental measurements of aerosols in the stratosphere. His work is instrumental in understanding human impacts on the stratospheric ozone layer and on how human-caused or natural atmospheric aerosols alter our climate system.
Cziczo’s research group develops instruments that fly on high-altitude stratospheric aircraft and small laboratory cloud chambers that mimic atmospheric conditions. His research also includes how spacecraft debris and launch vehicle emissions affect the chemical makeup of the atmosphere.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dan to UChicago,” said CSEi Faculty Director David Keith. “I am particularly excited by the synergy between Dan, a global leader in in situ observational stratospheric aerosol research, and two other UChicago faculty; Mingyi Wang, a top young talent in laboratory experiments on atmospheric aerosols; and Liz Moyer, one of the very few university-based researchers running an independent instrument that flies on NASA’s stratospheric research aircraft.
“With their combined expertise, I expect UChicago to build a powerhouse of stratospheric aerosol science—one that can help untangle the complexities, risks, and practicalities of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI),” Keith added.
Cziczo’s appointment makes him the third faculty member to join CSEi, following Faculty Director David Keith and Assistant Professor B. B. Cael, who arrived in early 2025. This growth marks a major milestone for the initiative as it continues to scale its research capabilities and recruit additional world-class faculty in the coming year.
“I am excited to join CSEi because of the opportunity to better understand particles and cloud formation in the Earth system,” Cziczo said. “When you look at climate projections, uncertainty is often due to our lack of understanding of particles in the atmosphere and how they lead to cloud formation. My role is to try to reduce those uncertainties, not only in projecting climate into the future but also in understanding some of the ideas for how we might modify the atmosphere.”
Cziczo’s arrival builds upon a growing multidisciplinary team at CSEi. Beyond professors Moyer and Wang, he will collaborate with CSEi Research Assistant Professors Pete Irvine and Jim Franke, as well as a growing list of CSEi-funded research groups across campus. Together, these researchers are tackling stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) and related research by combining high-altitude observations, climate modeling, and socio-economic analyses.
“Bringing Dan on board provides the missing link in our experimental capabilities,” Keith said. “His addition gives us the rare technical depth needed to move beyond theoretical models of SAI and rigorously test its physical realities.”