Dr. Will McCarty

Dr. Will McCarty is a Program Scientist in the Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics (WAD) Focus Area. Within this area, he serves as the Program Manager for Weather, Atmospheric Dynamics, and Precipitation Science. He is also the Program Scientist for several instruments that fall within the WAD Focus Area, as well as for the Global Hydrometeorology Resource Center (GHRC) and the Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program.

Prior to joining NASA Headquarters, Will served as a Research Meteorologist for the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where he focused on satellite data assimilation. He led the Atmospheric Observations group and worked towards the additional and improved use of satellite observations within the GMAO system. His efforts targeted past, present, and future observations through his work on reanalysis, near real-time atmospheric modeling and data assimilation systems, and Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs). His research spanned a broad range of remotely sensed and conventional observations. Additionally at Goddard, he served as the first Project Scientist for the CSDA Program, assisting in the onramp and evaluation of new data vendors.

Will received his B.S. in Meteorology from Valparaiso University in 2003. His links to NASA began in graduate school, as he received a M.S. (2005) and Ph. D. (2008) in Atmospheric Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville under the tutelage of scientists at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. His dissertation focused on the assimilation of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) radiances with the aim of improving short-term numerical weather forecasts.