My research focuses on the interactions between thunderstorm winds and urban environments using computational fluid dynamics and climatology of thunderstorm winds. In addition, an experimental campaign in Montreal using lidar wind profilers and other weather observing instruments will be a part of my research project.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to human activities are identified as the main cause of global climate change. Some of the well-known GHGs are carbon dioxide and methane. Observational and numerical studies of GHG emissions and their distributions in Canadian cities are rare. My research goals are to simulate the dispersion processes of the GHGs using high-resolution numerical models. The goal is to improve our understanding of the effects of meteorological conditions and urban morphology on GHG distribution at the urban block level. My research is focused on downtown Montreal in QC, Canada.

Seismic loading is related to the effects of an earthquake on a structure. Similarly, wind loading describes the wind forces exerted on a strcture. These two profoundly different loading cases are normally investigated independently because the likelihood of these two disasters occurring simultneously is negligible. However, a series of seismic and thunderstorm wind loads over a design lifetime of a structure is non-negligible . In my research, I am developing a multi-hazard analysis framework for subsequent seismic and thunderstorm disasters.

With over 50% of global population living in urban areas, investigation of dynamics and evolution of urban boundary layers was never more pressing. Urban boundary layer is the first approximately 1 km of the atmosphere above an urban environment. The exchange of momentum, heat, pollution and moisture between the urban surface and the atmosphere is taking place through the urban boundary layer. In my research, I use a long-range Doppler lidar profiler to investigate the mean properties and turbulence in the urban boundary layer above downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Current research shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spread via inhalation of infectious respiratory particles of varying sizes -- known as aerosol, which include both smaller particles and larger droplets. These particles suspended in the air can travel across a classroom or an office. Therefore, the effectiveness of ventilation systems in an indoor environment and the occupancy of the room play an important role in the spread of viruses. My research focuses on the measurements of the amount of endogenously versus exogenously generated aerosol particles in occupied classrooms and graduate student offices under different occupancy and ventilation scenarios.

Some estimates are that dust storms transport about 2 billion tons of dust through the atmosphere on the annual basis. The Arabian Peninsula is one of the regions that is most prone to dust storms. In my research, I am investigating climatology of dust storms in Abu Dhabi using a combination of surface measurements, soundings, reanalysis data, as well as machine learning models to study the atmospheric environmetns that led to the formation of these weather hazards.

I study the response of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to two back-to-back natural hazards that hit the islands in 2021 -- the La Soufriere volcano followed 3 months later by the Hurricane Elsa. I am looking into the response of different community members and decision makers in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to this series of hazards, as well as how the hazards affected different institutions and individuals.

I am developing a user-friendly interface that will incorporate different analytical models of downburst outflows. Downbursts are strong downdrafts of negatively buoyant air that emerge from a storm and spread radially upon hitting the earth's surface. The code and the interface are written in Matlab. The goal of this research is to create an interface that the researchers and engineers can use to easily assess different analytical models of downburst winds.

My research is on quantifying spatial and temporal patterns of surface pressures exerted by physically produced downburst-like impinging jets. Downbursts are strong downdrafts of negatively buoyant air that descend from a thunderstorm cloud and spread radially upon hitting the surface. Wind speeds in strong downbursts can exceed 50 m/s. Given their short duration and localized spatial extent downbursts are challenging to measure using standard meteorological instruments. Therefore, in my research I analyze surface pressures from downburst-like impinging jets generated in the WindEEE Dome downburst simulator at Western University in Canada.

In simple words, a cold front passes when a mass of comparatively colder air moves into the region of warmer air. While the front is passing, the winds are gusty, temperature is decreasing, occurrence of thunderstorms is likely and the pressure suddenly increases. In my research, I investigate dynamics and thermodynamics of a cold front that passed over the Montreal region during the Winter 2024 season. My research combines surface measurements, rawinsonde data as well as Doppler lidar measurements to quantify the evolution of this frontal event. This research is under the supervision of Prof. Gyakuym, Prof. Romanic and PhD student Juliann Wray.

I conduct literature review research on downburst winds. Downbursts are intense windstorms associated with thunderstorm clouds. Vertical profiles of downburst wind velocity exibit a nose-like shape, which is profoundly different from a logarithmic-like wind profile in the atmospheric boundary layer. Moreover, downbursts are transient wind phenomena with complex three-dimensional flow. As such, they pose a series threat to the built and natural environments.

Atmospheric boundary layer is a region of the atmosphere that is closest to the ground. This layer of the atmosphere is approximately 1 km deep in mid-latitudes. Atmospheric boundary layer above an urban surface is known as the urban boundary layer. I am using a Doppler lidar to investigate the dynamics and response of urban boundary layer above downtown Montreal during the 2024 total solar eclipse that took place on 8 April 2024.