My Story
I’m the Lead Mesonet Technician with the Nebraska State Climate Office, housed within the School of Natural Resources. In this role, I help operate and expand the Nebraska Mesonet,a statewide network of over 70 automated weather stations. These stations provide real-time, high-resolution environmental and meteorological data that support agricultural management, emergency response, climate monitoring, and scientific research.
My work takes me from the remote stretches of the Sandhills to croplands in eastern Nebraska. I oversee station installations, conduct site surveys, troubleshoot systems, and manage equipment logistics, all while mentoring field staff. I’m passionate about building and maintaining reliable monitoring networks that turn complex weather and climate variability into actionable insights for producers, researchers, and communities across the state.
Before joining UNL, I earned a Ph.D. in Agronomy with a specialization in micrometeorology from Kansas State University. My research focused on quantifying greenhouse gas emissions particularly methane and nitrous oxide from livestock operations and croplands. I’ve applied eddy covariance techniques extensively for field-scale flux monitoring and contributed to the development of open-path gas analyzers using dual-comb spectroscopy, a cutting-edge technology that enables the detection of multiple gases over large spatial footprints with high temporal resolution.
As part of a collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), I helped deploy and validate dual-comb systems capable of precisely measuring trace gas emissions in agricultural settings. This technology is revolutionizing how we detect and quantify emissions by offering spatially integrated data that traditional sensors often miss.
In addition to field instrumentation, I have a strong foundation in data analysis and systems automation. I use Python to process large environmental datasets, apply gap-filling techniques, and build artificial neural network (ANN) models to reconstruct missing greenhouse gas flux data. I also develop custom scripts and datalogger programs to automate measurements and maintain data quality in gas flux research.
At the core of my work is a commitment to practical impact. Whether I’m installing a weather station, designing a sensing system, or analyzing emissions trends, my goal is to produce reliable information that researchers, producers, and policymakers can use to make better decisions. By combining advanced technology with field-based experience, I aim to support more sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural practices.
Outside of work, I enjoy road trips, wildlife and landscape photography, and spending time outdoors.
I’m proud to be part of the UNL community and contribute to a team dedicated to delivering data that matters for Nebraska and beyond.