#SoCaltech: Ignacio Lopez Gomez

“I believe current advances in sustainability and climate science will have an outsized effect on human societies and biodiversity for centuries to come. The potential to contribute to these advances is why I decided to come to Caltech and join the Climate Modeling Alliance (CliMA). To design effective climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, we need accurate predictions of how the climate will respond to different greenhouse gas emission scenarios. At CliMA, I work on improving the representation of clouds in climate models, combining physics and machine learning to reduce uncertainty in climate projections. I started my studies as an aerospace engineer, and, once I realized I had gained a skill set that could help the world in this way, I decided to switch to climate dynamics. There are so many opportunities for researchers to have careers in sustainability, from chemists building new batteries to engineers building a renewable electricity grid.”

Ignacio Lopez Gomez is a Resnick Graduate Research Fellow and an Amazon AI4Science Fellow in environmental science and engineering. In addition to his work with CliMA, he has also collaborated with Caltech scientists across divisions to create anthroponumbers.org, a database of human impacts on the planet. On Earth Day 2022, he shared his story and advice with high schoolers at “Climate Change: Los Angeles Youth in Action,” a panel organized by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall to inform and inspire the next generation of community leaders and scientists.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.