Gabriele Villarini, the vice dean of engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Meteorological Society.
Election to the fellowship reflects contributions to further understanding of atmospheric science and the development of technology and applications that benefit society. Villarini’s nomination for recognition noted his research into the frequency and intensity of flooding across the United States and contributions to forecast models for the landfall, frequency and rainfall of tropical cyclones.
Villarini, the Theodora Shelton Pitney Professor of Environmental Studies, is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute. His research focuses on climate projections, flood hydrology, hydroclimatology and better understanding extreme weather events. He has developed methods to investigate how flooding is expected to change in a changing climate. Some of Villarini’s recent work has investigated the effect of urbanization and climate change on rainfall from tropical cyclones and the impact of volcanic eruptions on global flood patterns.
Villarini joined the Princeton faculty in 2023 after 11 years at the University of Iowa and has served as vice dean of engineering since 2025. Villarini has received the Hydrological Sciences Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the European Geosciences Union and the James B. Macelwane Medal from the American Geophysical Union. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and currently serves as editor-in-chief for Advances in Water Resources.
Founded in 1910, the American Meteorological Society represents 13,000 members working to advance atmospheric and related sciences. It is based in Boston.
