Christine Wiedinmyer is the Associate Director for Science at CIRES, overseeing the science portfolio of CU Boulder's largest research institute with a focus on managing our research in service to NOAA, our primary partner. Wiedinmyer divides her time between the two main locations—the NOAA David Skaggs Research Center and the University of Colorado Boulder campus—where CIRES’ 800-plus scientists, engineers, developers, students, and other staff work. She helps the CIRES director address challenges that affect our scientists working in both locations, and she is fostering partnerships across the University of Colorado Boulder and the broader scientific community, to continue CIRES’ long-term legacy as an international leader in the Earth sciences. Wiedinmyer is also a Research Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder.

Her own research has focused on the emissions of trace gases and particles to the atmosphere and how these emissions impact atmospheric composition, air quality, and climate. She also investigates the effects of global change on these processes, such as how land cover and land use change alter the fluxes of trace gases to the atmosphere. To accomplish her research goals, Wiedinmyer integrates laboratory experiments, in-situ measurements, remote sensing observations, and a suite of modeling tools. Wiedinmyer developed the Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN), a high resolution global fire emissions model now used by local, regional, and global chemical modelers to better quantify the impacts of fire emissions on atmospheric composition, both in hindsight and forecast model applications.

Wiedinmyer, who has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers, earned Thomson Reuters “highly cited researcher” status in 2014—an achievement shared by only about seven or eight University of Colorado Boulder faculty members most years. And she also brings to CIRES a commitment to service. Wiedinmyer helped found the Earth Science Women’s Network and now serves on the organization’s Board. She has mentored early-career scientists and often speaks publicly about her service as well as her science.