Paquita Zuidema, professor and chair of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, has been elected a 2024 Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). Zuidema is the eleventh Rosenstiel School faculty member to receive the distinguished honor, which recognizes scientists for their outstanding contributions to the atmospheric or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences.
A professor of atmospheric sciences, Zuidema has been a faculty member at the Rosenstiel School for nearly 20 years. Her research focuses on marine boundary-layer clouds, with an emphasis on microphysics, cloud organization, and radiation. This is motivated by the impact of boundary-layer clouds on climate. Zuidema is known for her work on Arctic mixed-phase clouds, subtropical stratocumulus, and tropical shallow and deep convection. She has been involved with numerous field campaigns, including as lead scientist for a United States Department of Energy Mobile Facility deployment to Ascension Island in the southeast Atlantic, and co-PI of the NASA ORACLES aircraft campaign investigating smoke-cloud interactions over the southern subtropical Atlantic. She teaches classes on cloud physics and atmospheric radiation and on instrumentation at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. 
Paquita is an outstanding atmospheric scientist, teacher and mentor to students and fellow researchers,” said Rosenstiel School Dean Roni Avissar. “She is very deserving of this distinguished honor and recognition."
She is a member of the Department of Energy’s Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate Advisory Committee, has been co-chair of the International CLIVAR Atlantic Regional Panel, and past Chair of the AMS Atmospheric Radiation Committee. She was an editor of the Copernicus Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Journal, AMS Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology and AMS Journal of Atmospheric Sciences. Zuidema received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Department of Astrophysics, Planetary and Atmospheric Sciences.
Zuidema actively works to increase inclusivity and diversity within the atmospheric sciences community. She and her students, have published over 130 scientific articles on their research, supported by numerous grants from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Each year, the American Meteorological Society recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations in the weather, water, and climate community through its Awards and Honors program. Only two-tenths of one percent of AMS membership is approved as a Fellow each year.
“AMS Awards and Honors are one way that we bring attention and acclaim to some of the standouts across our field and recognize the hard work that paves the way for their remarkable achievements,” said AMS Executive Director Stella Kafka, in a news release.
The 2024 recipients will be honored at the 104th AMS Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.
