
Yagmur Derin, Ph.D.
Precipitation, Hydrological Hazards, & Data Science

I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow funded by NASA at the University of Oklahoma (OU), working with Dr. Pierre Kirstetter. My PhD is in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Connecticut (UConn). There, I was advised in Professor Emmanouil Anagnostou’s group which focused on uncertainty characterization of global satellite precipitation estimation as well as estimation of precipitation from high-frequency dual-polarization weather radar. I am broadly interested in quantitative understanding of precipitation and related natural hazards in different environmental regimes.
I analyze and apply observation (in-situ, ground, and space-based remote sensing) and numerical model data to advance the understanding of atmospheric and hydrological processes. I built my expertise around a detailed understanding of the physical weather processes of orographic precipitation and related natural hazards. Part of my research focused on analyzing and modeling the uncertainty of satellite-based precipitation products over mountainous terrain at a global scale with the help of machine learning. More recently, my research has focused on linking the changing characteristics of precipitation and cloud properties with various environmental parameters.
The wind began to blow steadily out of the west and pour the water of the distant seas on the dark heads of the hills…
J. R. R. TOLKIEN