Michael Jensen
Michael Jensen
Group Leader, Environmental Science and Technologies Department
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Dr. Michael Jensen currently serves as the interim chair of the Environmental Science and Technologies Department at the DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), where he will celebrate his 22-year service anniversary in May 2026. He is a leader in the atmospheric sciences community, recognized not only for his work on processes that influence the lifecycle of clouds—particularly deep convective and marine boundary layer cloud systems—but also for his sustained and impactful commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists.
Dr. Jensen has been an active participant in the DOE Atmospheric System Research (ASR) Program and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility for more than twenty-five years and currently acts as the laboratory manager for the ASR Science Focus Area project, “Process-level Advancements of Coupled Cloud and Aerosol Lifecycles (PASCCALS).” Over this time, he has contributed to and led major DOE ARM field campaigns, including the 2011 Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) and the 2021–2022 Tracking Aerosol–Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER). A hallmark of his leadership in these efforts is the intentional integration of students and early-career scientists into field and data-intensive research, providing them with meaningful, hands-on scientific experience.
Throughout his career at BNL, Dr. Jensen has formally mentored more than 50 interns, including high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, most through DOE Workforce Development for Teachers and Students programs. He is known for his highly engaged and inclusive mentoring style, working closely with mentees to develop their scientific reasoning, technical skills, and confidence as researchers. His mentorship emphasizes experiential learning using ARM observational data, enabling students to explore fundamental atmospheric processes while gaining practical experience in data analysis, visualization, and the communication of scientific results.
In addition to one-on-one mentorship, Dr. Jensen has contributed to curriculum development, hands-on training activities, and guest lectures through BNL’s Workforce Development and Science Education Office. His efforts have helped create structured pathways for student engagement in atmospheric science and have had a lasting impact on participants, many of whom have been inspired to pursue further education and careers in STEM fields.
