Dr. Lynn. K. (Nick) Shay holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Physical Oceanography (Applied Math minor for the Ph.D. specializing in upper ocean response to strong atmospheric forcing events) from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a B.S. in Physical Oceanography from Florida Institute of Technology. He is currently Associate Dean and Professor in the Department of Ocean Sciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and directs the Upper Ocean Dynamics Laboratory. He has published more than 115 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals and books and has chaired or served on 40 student committees.
The overarching goal of the research is to conduct scientific and technological investigations that require both basic and applied research activities that have societal relevance at its core. In this context, research interests include: experimental and theoretical investigations of the ocean response and coupled air-sea interactions during strong atmospheric forcing events (tropical and extratropical cyclones, atmospheric jets, fronts), Loop Current effects of the atmospheric boundary layer, coastal oceanographic process studies associated with the Florida Current, radar oceanography using high-frequency radar and satellite altimetry, and temperature, salinity and velocity profiling techniques from floats and aircraft-deployable measurements during hurricanes. A large fraction of this effort has been in and above the Gulf of Mexico and northwest Caribbean Sea and is directly relevant to multiple NOAA missions, BP-sponsored Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative and the NAS Loop Current Program.
Shay and his colleagues developed the ocean heat content monitoring from space-based systems for tropical cyclone intensity forecasting that has been in use for the North Atlantic and Pacific Ocean basin — now operational at NOAA NESDIS and UM. Working with Teledyne Webb, Shay and colleagues developed a float capable of measuring physical and biochemical processes that can be deployed from ships and aircraft.
Dr. Shay is an elected fellow of the American Meteorological Society since 2012, was part of the NASA Genesis Rapid Intensity Program Team receiving an achievement award (2011) for participation in the field campaign and more recently was awarded the Richard H. Hagemayer Award (2016) by NOAA’s Office of the Federal Coordinator of Meteorology. He is also on the Board of Directors for SECOORA, GCOOS and the Florida Institute of Oceanography.