Jane W. Baldwin
Assistant Professor of Earth System Science, University of California Irvine
Adjunct Associate Research Scientist, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
Biography
Jane W. Baldwin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine. She joined UCI in 2021 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. Baldwin received her Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from Princeton University in 2018, where she worked under the guidance of Gabriel A. Vecchi. Her doctoral research focused on orographic effects on Asian hydroclimate and the temporal compounding of heat waves. She holds a B.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University, where she graduated summa cum laude.
Baldwin's research primarily examines the intersections of climate dynamics, extreme weather events, and their associated risks. She has developed an open-source tropical cyclone risk model for the Philippines and has collaborated with organizations like the World Bank on disaster risk projects. Her research contributions include publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications and Science Advances, and she has been recognized with several awards, including the NASA New Investigator Award for her work on climate simulation. Baldwin's research has also received funding from prestigious sources such as the National Science Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation.
At the University of California, Irvine, Baldwin teaches courses such as ESS 116: Introduction to Environmental Data Science and ESS 280C: Climate & Extreme Events Graduate Reading Course. She has also been actively involved in advising and mentoring students, including serving on Ph.D. advancement committees and supervising graduate and undergraduate research projects. In addition to her teaching and mentoring roles, Baldwin contributes to the academic community through her service on departmental committees and her involvement in initiatives like the UCI Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Projects Task Force.
Return to topDegrees
- Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Princeton University, 2018
- B.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, 2012
Distinctions
- NASA New Investigator Award, 2021
- Carbon Mitigation Initiative Best Paper Award for Postdoctoral Fellows, 2020
- Finalist for University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, 2019
- Outstanding Student Presentation Award, AGU Fall Meeting, 2017
- Top Student Paper Award, AMS 97th Annual Meeting, Eighth Conference on Environment and Health, 2016
- Summa Cum Laude, 2012
- John Wood Prize, 2012
- Phi Beta Kappa, 2011
Areas of Expertise
- Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
- Climate Change Impacts
- Tropical Cyclones
- Heat Waves and Health
- Orographic Effects on Climate
- Climate Model Biases
- Hydroclimate Variability
- Extreme Weather Risk Assessment
- Climate Science Communication
- Geospatial Data Applications
Recent Publications
- Fisher, C., Benami, E., Dolk, M., Baldwin, J., Becker-Reshef, I., Cuppari, R., Dalhaus, T., Hobbs, A., Leckebusch, G., Lacovara, P., Sobel, A., Tellman, E., “Bridging science and practice to en(in)sure sustainable development in a changing climate”, Journal of Catastrophe Risk and Resilience, 2024.
- Baldwin, J., Lee, C.-Y., Walsh, B., Camargo, S., Sobel, A., “Vulnerability in a Tropical Cyclone Risk Model: Philippines Case Study”, Weather, Climate, and Society, 2023.
- Parks, R., Kontis, V., Anderson, G., Baldwin, J., Danaei, G., Toumi, R., Dominici, F., Ezzati, M., Kioumourtzoglou, M., “Short-term excess mortality following tropical cyclones in the United States”, Science Advances, 2023.
- Matthews, T., Raymond, C., Foster, J., Baldwin, J., Ivanovich, C., Kong, Q., Kinney, P., Horton, R., “Earth’s most extreme heat events and their lethality under climate warming”, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 2023.
- Dee, S., Nabizadeh, E., Nittrouer, C., Baldwin, J., Gaviria, L., Guo, S., Lu, K., Saunders-Shultz, B., Gurwitz, E., Samarth, G., Weinberger, K., “Increasing Health Risks During Outdoor Sports Due To Climate Change in Texas: Projections Versus Attitudes”, GeoHealth, 2022.
- Wilson, K., Baldwin, J., Young, R., “Estimating Tropical Cyclone Vulnerability: A Review of Different Open-Source Approaches”, Hurricane Risk in a Changing Climate, Springer International Publishing, pp. 255-281, 2022.
- Baldwin, J., Atwood, A., Vecchi, G., Battisti, D., “Outsize Influence of Central American Topography on Global Climate”, AGU Advances, 2021.
- J. Baldwin, G. Vecchi, S. Bordoni, “The Direct and Ocean-Mediated Influence of Asian Orography on Tropical Precipitation and Cyclones.”, Climate Dynamics, pp. 1-20, 2019.
- C. Chou, J. Jhaveri, J. Baldwin, P. Hannam, K. Keller, W. Peng, S. Rabin, A. Ravikumar, A. Trierweiler, X. Wang, R. Socolow, “Fusion Energy vis Magnetic Confinement: An Energy Technology Distillate.”, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, pp. 1-34, 2016.
Most Cited Publications
- Ebi, K., Vanos, J., Baldwin, J., Bell, J., Hondula, D., Errett, N., Hayes, K., Reid, C., Saha, S., Spector, S., Berry, P., “Extreme weather and climate change: population health and health system implications”, Annual Review of Public Health, 2021.
- L. Zhao, M. Oppenheimer, Q. Zhu, J. Baldwin, K. Ebi, E. Bou-zeid, K. Guan, X. Liu, “Interactions Between Urban Heat Islands and Heat Waves.”, Environmental Research Letters, pp. 1-11, 2017.
- J. Baldwin, J. Dessy, G. Vecchi, M. Oppenheimer, “Temporally Compound Heat Wave Events and Global Warming: An Emerging Hazard.”, Earth’s Future, pp. 411-427, 2019.
- G. Vecchi, T. Delworth, H. Murakami, S. Underwood, A. Wittenberg, F. Zeng, W. Zhang, J. Baldwin, K. Bhatia, W. Cooke, J. He, S. Kapnick, T. Knutson, G. Villarini, K. van der Wiel, W. Anderson, V. Balaji, J. Chen, K. Dixon, R. Gudgel, L. Harris, L. Jia, N. Johnson, S. Lin, M. Liu, C. Ng, A. Rosati, J. Smith, X. Yang, “Tropical cyclone sensitivities to CO 2 doubling: roles of atmospheric resolution, synoptic variability and background climate changes.”, Climate Dynamics, pp. 1-35, 2019.
- W. Liao, X. Liu, D. Li, M. Luo, D. Wang, S. Wang, J. Baldwin, L. Lin, X. Li, K. Feng, K. Hubacek, X. Yang, “Stronger Contributions of Urbanization to Heat Wave Trends in Wet Climates.”, Geophysical Research Letters, pp. 1-8, 2018.
- Vanos, J., Baldwin, J., Jay, O., Ebi, K., “Simplicity lacks robustness when projecting heat-health outcomes in a changing climate”, Nature Communications, 2020.
- J. Baldwin, G. Vecchi, “Influence of the Tian Shan Mountains on Arid Extratropical Asia.”, Journal of Climate, pp. 5741-5762, 2016.
- Baldwin, J., Benmarhnia, T., Ebi, K., Jay, O., Lutsko, N., Vanos, J., “Humidity’s Role in Heat-Related Health Outcomes: A Heated Debate”, Environmental Health Perspectives, 2023.
- Vanos, J., Guzman-Echavarria, G., Baldwin, J., Bongers, C., Ebi, K., Jay, O., “A physiological approach for assessing human survivability and liveability to heat in a changing climate”, Nature Communications, 2023.
- N. Lutsko, J. Baldwin, T. Cronin, “The Impact of Large-Scale Orography on Northern Hemisphere Winter Synoptic Temperature Variability.”, Journal of Climate, 2019.
Contact Information
Website: https://janebaldw.in
Email: jane.baldwin@uci.edu
Address: University of California Irvine
Return to topThis profile was last updated on 2/12/2025.