Space Science and Engineering Center University of Wisconsin-Madison

Associate Director of Science

Wayne Feltz’s career at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1994 – present, has included researcher and scientist positions at the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), one of 18 multi-disciplinary centers within the UW-Madison Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE). He has been the Associate Director – Science within SSEC since 2012 and supports Dr. Bradley Pierce (Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) Director) and Professor Tristan L’Ecuyer (NOAA Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies Director) administratively.

Mr. Feltz is the leader of a research team at CIMSS, directing a group of scientists toward the goal of using current derived satellite-based weather decision support products to improve forecasting of aviation weather hazards through FAA, NOAA, NASA, and military agencies. Mr. Feltz is involved with validation of current and future meteorological technology and currently has principal investigator and program management responsibilities on multiple satellite remote sensing related research projects. Research achievements include: development temperature and moisture retrieval algorithms for ground based high resolution fourier transform interferometric radiometer radiance measurements; advancement of satellite derived meteorological field for operation use in detection of aviation weather hazards; development of new meteorological applications for remotely sensed atmospheric temperature, water and wind fields; validation of remotely sensed atmospheric state; surface-based passive remote sensing of clouds; successful participation in a large number of field experiments consisting of deployment of the SSEC Portable Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC) with numerous meteorological instruments; and instrument performance analysis. Provided funding resources for several graduate student research assistantships and research advisor oversight. Currently, he is leading science in an administrative role to assist in assuring scientific excellence and future financial stability at SSEC/CIMSS.

Wayne is also involved with international conference planning, serving on the European Satellite conference scientific program committee and chair sessions in Amsterdam, Netherlands – 2007, Sopot, Poland – 2012, Austria, Vienna – 2013 and Boston, MA – 2019. He has authored or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and most recently co-chaired the GOES-R (future weather satellite) Aviation Algorithm Working Group. He has served as an Editor for the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology Editor 2009-2012.

Research Interests

• Utilization of satellite-based observations to improve nowcasting/forecasting of aviation weather hazards such as turbulence, convection, winds, and volcanic ash
• Remote sensing of thermodynamic state using passive and active instrumentation
• Infrared hyperspectral resolution research toward improved weather observations
• Validation of remotely sensed atmospheric state variables
• Understand impact of future satellite observations through simulation
• Severe weather nowcasting using new atmospheric technologies

Current Research

• Principal Investigator: GOES-R Proving Ground, funded by NOAA (2009–present)
• Principal Investigator: Boeing Company: Aviation Satellite Decision Support (2011 – present)
• Program Manager: Overall SSEC/CIMSS GOES-R/JPSS weather satellite activities (2007–present)

Field Experiment Participation

• Participant in STORM-FEST experiment, NOAA Funded, Coffeeville, KS, 1992
• Participant in Point Mugu Refractivity Experiment, DOE ARM Funded, Pt Mugu, CA, 1993
• Participant in OTIS, Oceanic Temperature Interferometric Survey, NASA Funded, Gulf of Mexico, January 1995
• Participant in CAMEX 2, 3, Convection and Atmospheric Moisture Experiment, Wallops Island, Andros Island, NASA Funded, September, 1995, September, 1998
• Participant in numerous SGP CART field campaigns, Southern Great Plains Cloud And Radiation Testbed for Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, Lamont, Oklahoma1995-2000
• Participant in WINCE Experiment, NASA Funded, Madison, WI 1997
• Participant in WINTEX Experiment, NASA Funded, Madison, WI, 1999
• Participant in WVSS Water Vapor Sensing System Validation Experiment, NOAA Funded, 1999
• Participant in IHOP International H2O Experiment, Oklahoma Panhandle, DOE ARM funded, 2002
• Co-I participant in WVSS-II Water Vapor Sensing System Validation Experiment, Louisville, KY, NOAA Funded, 2005, 2006
• PI participant in TAVE TAMDAR Validation Experiment, NASA Funded, Memphis, TN, 2005
• Participant in GIFTS EDU checkout experiment, NASA Funded, Logan, UT, 2006
• Water Vapor Sensing System – II Validation Participation, NASA funded, 2009-2010
• Principal Investigator: Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) Field Campaign “Collaborative Research: Low-level Jets in the Nocturnal Stable Boundary Layer: Structure, Evolution, and Interactions with Mesoscale Atmospheric Disturbances”, funded by NSF (2015-2017) – NSF funded, 2015-2017