Tim Logan

Director of the Houston Lightning Mapping Array (HLMA) Network. The HLMA provides a service to the surrounding community by providing timely and reliable lightning data to make informed decisions in regards to public safety interests while providing quality data for collaborative, interdisciplinary research within the university community and for K-12 STEM projects. As part of this effort, I develop and test sferics detectors under various modes of deep convection.

My current research deals with aerosol impacts on low-level cloud development which is funded by a NSF Grant (2017-2020). As part of the grant, I develop micro-gadgets capable of measuring temperature, pressure, and aerosol optical depth. As part of the Texas A&M University Tier One Proposal (TOPS) grant (2018-2021), I study aerosol impacts on boundary layer clouds using 3-D images derived from a portable micropulse LIDAR.

My primary research goals are to (1) improve upon earlier aerosol classification methods by using theoretical radiative transfer calculations and in situ measurements (e.g., laser spectroscopy), (2) analyze the long-term aerosol impacts on low-level and deep convective cloud development, and (3) discern the possible impacts of biomass burning smoke aerosols on severe weather and lightning.