About
Prior to joining UMBC in 1999, Dr. Varnai worked as researcher at the Hungarian Meteorological Service, and as postdoctoral fellow at McGill University and at the University of Arizona.Research interests
Dr. Varnai’s research aims at improving our ability to measure the properties of clouds and atmospheric aerosols from space, and to use satellite data for better understanding the impact of clouds and aerosols on the solar heating of our planet. He is particularly interested in the way the three-dimensional nature of atmospheric radiative processes affects satellite observations, and in understanding the way atmospheric particle populations change in the vicinity of clouds. His work involves analyzing data from satellite instruments such as MODIS or CALIOP and airborne instruments such as THOR or CAR, and combining the data with theoretical simulations of radiative processes.Education
-
Ph D, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
— McGill University (1996) Reflection of solar radiation by inhomogeneous clouds
-
Other, Meteorology
— Eotvos Lorand University (1989) The adaptation of a spectral global circulation model