Daniel Gilford

Daniel Gilford, Ph.D., is a meteorologist and atmospheric scientist with a decade of experience in climate science research. He is scientifically interested in answering the question, “How does climate variability and change affect local coastal communities?” He is personally interested in doing climate science that works towards an equitable, knowledgeable, and resilient society for his son and future generations.

Daniel grew up along the coast of central Florida, and at a young age became fascinated with the power and importance of weather in his community, especially during the extremely active 2004 hurricane season. Following that passion, Daniel attended The Florida State University, where he worked at the Center for Ocean Atmospheric Prediction Studies studying climate impacts on southeast US temperatures and agriculture. After graduating with a B. S. in Meteorology in 2012, Daniel started graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At MIT Daniel studied with Prof. Susan Solomon and Kerry Emanuel examining how atmospheric chemistry and radiation combine to alter atmospheric temperatures and influence tropical cyclone intensities. Receiving his doctorate in Atmospheric Science, Daniel began a postdoc at Rutgers where he worked with Prof. Bob Kopp to better understand climate change's influence on sea level rise.

In 2021, Daniel joined Climate Central full time as a Climate Scientist, and he is now working on climate change attribution to support the Realtime Climate and Sea Level teams. Daniel also enjoys reading comics, drinking coffee, board games, and being involved in his local community.