Dr. L. Ruby Leung, an internationally renowned atmospheric scientist specializing in climate modeling and the water cycle at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to lead the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME) project as Chief Climate Scientist. In this role, Leung will help guide the science behind one of DOE’s most important areas of research: transforming the Nation’s ability to predict climate change and its impacts.

Sponsored by the Earth System Modeling (ESM) program within DOE's Office of Biological and Environmental Research, ACME is the only major national modeling project designed to address DOE science and mission needs and to efficiently use DOE current and future leadership computing facilities.

As Leung takes on the ACME council leadership role, she will devote half of her time to the success of the project by providing governance, planning, reporting, and advancing earth system models.

As the Chief Climate Scientist, she will work with four dedicated groups on individual Earth system components as well as the coupled system to provide scientific guidance that will lead to strong climate modeling results. The first phase of the project is expected to continue through 2017, focusing on climate change in the water cycle, biogeochemistry, and cryosphere-ocean systems.

Leung's research helps inform national decisions related to water, agriculture, energy, public health, and national security. Her leadership of key workshops and panels sponsored by environmental agencies help define future priorities in climate modeling and hydroclimate research. Her work focuses on developing and advancing the use of climate models to provide insights on climate processes and their responses to human perturbations.