Kelvin K Droegemeier

About

Kelvin K Droegemeier is a Professor of Atmospheric Science and Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Science and Policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He previously served as the Regent’s Professor of Meteorology, Weathernews Chair Emeritus, and Roger and Sherry Teigen Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a faculty member from 1985 to 2023. His leadership roles include serving as the university’s vice president for research from 2009 to 2018 and founding and directing the Sasaki Institute for five years, which focused on developing and applying knowledge, policy, and advanced technology for societal impact. Droegemeier’s research areas include satellite and radar remote sensing, thunderstorm dynamics and hazards, and weather and climate risk. He has held prominent federal science and policy leadership positions, including serving on the National Science Board from 2004 to 2016, acting as vice chair, directing the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2019 to 2021, and serving as acting director of the National Science Foundation in 2020. At the state level, he was appointed to the Oklahoma Governor’s Science and Technology Council and served as Cabinet Secretary of Science and Technology. He is a fellow of both the American Meteorological Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Business
• Medical physics
• Meteorology
• Philosophy
• Literature
• Finance
• Geography
• Medical education
• Environmental science

Selected publications

• The Roles of Chief Research Officers at American Research Universities: A Current Profile and Challenges for the Future.

  Journal of Research Administration · 2017-03-22 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• The Numerical Prediction of Severe Convective Storms: Advances in Research and Applications, Remaining Challenges, and Outlook for the Future

  Elsevier eBooks · 2024-01-01 · 2 citations

  book-chapterSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Droegemeier and Neumayr: Why Trump's making ocean exploration a top priority

  FOXBusiness · 2019-11-12 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• Navigating Rising Waters: Applying Protection Motivation Theory to Communities Facing Recurrent Flooding along the Shunganunga Creek

  Weather Climate and Society · 2026-04-03

  articleSenior author

  Abstract Floodplain communities face persistent and compounding challenges as climate change and urban development increase the frequency and severity of flooding events. This case study examines how residents living near the Shunganunga Creek floodplain in Topeka, Kansas, perceive recurring flood risks and respond to current communication strategies. Using 11 semi-structured interviews analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis, we identified four major themes shaping risk perception: socioec…

  PublisherDOI

• Learning Climate Sensitivity from Future Observations, Fast and Slow

  ArXiv.org · 2025-07-21

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Climate sensitivity has remained stubbornly uncertain since the Charney Report was published some 45 years ago. Two factors in future climate projections could alter this dilemma: (i) an increased ratio of CO$_2$ forcing relative to aerosol cooling, owing to both continued accumulation of CO$_2$ and declining aerosol emissions, and (ii) a warming world, whereby CO$_2$-induced warming becomes more pronounced relative to climate variability. Here, we develop a novel modeling approach to explore th…

  PublisherOA PDF

Frequent coauthors

• Ming Xue

  63 shared

• Keith Brewster

  University of Oklahoma

  46 shared

• Jerald A. Brotzge

  Western Kentucky University

  40 shared

• Frederick H. Carr

  University of Oklahoma

  39 shared

• James F. Kurose

  University of Massachusetts Amherst

  38 shared

• Sandra Cruz-Pol

  37 shared

• Brenda Philips

  University of Massachusetts Amherst

  37 shared

• Stephen J. Frasier

  University of Massachusetts Amherst

  36 shared

Labs

• Satellite and Radar Remote SensingPI

Education

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  1985

• M.S. in Atmospheric Science

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  1982

• B.S. in Meteorology with Special Distinction

  University of Oklahoma

  1980

Awards & honors

• Fellow of the American Meteorological Society
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sc…

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