Dr. Hannah M. Zanowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the inaugural Craig K. Skaar Professor of Oceanography. Her research explores how oceans work on Earth—and even how oceans might behave on planets beyond our solar system.
Dr. Zanowski uses sophisticated climate models to study topics including the Arctic and Antarctic oceans, changes in ocean circulation, Earth’s ancient oceans, and the possible oceans of distant exoplanets. Her current research includes investigating how the Arctic Ocean may change in the future, what ocean circulation may have looked like early in Earth’s history, and how oceans could influence whether planets outside our solar system are capable of supporting life.
Originally from Arizona, Dr. Zanowski studied mathematics and physics at the University of Arizona before earning her Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from Princeton University. She later conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Washington before joining the faculty at UW–Madison.
Her career gives students a fascinating look at how mathematics, physics, computer modeling, climate science, and oceanography can come together to answer enormous questions—from what is happening beneath the Arctic ice today to what an ocean might look like on a planet millions of miles away.
