Biograph: Guifu Zhang received his B.S. in Physics from Anhui University in 1982, M.S. in Radio Physics from Wuhan University in 1985, and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington in 1998.
He was an Assistant and Associate Professor in the Space Physics Department at Wuhan University from 1985 to 1993. In 1989, he worked as a Visiting Scholar at the Communication Research Laboratory in Japan. From 1993 to 1998, Dr. Zhang studied and worked in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington, where he was first a Visiting Scientist and later a Ph.D. student. He was a Scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) during the period between 1998 and 2005. In 2005, he joined the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, where he is now a professor. Dr. Zhang formulated theories of weather radar interferometry and phased array radar polarimetry. Among his current projects, he is working on topics such as the optimal use of polarimetric radar data (PRD) in quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) and quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) and the research and development of polarimetric phased array radars for weather measurements and multi-mission capability.
Dr. Zhang is the author of Weather Radar Polarimetry, and he has received three US patent awards, filed over ten intellectual property disclosures, and published over 100 journal publications for his research work in radar theory/technology, signal processing and applications.
Title:Weather and Phased Array Radar Polarimetry: Looking forward to future?
Abstract: Radar polarimetry with multi-parameter measurements has matured to the point that it has been or is being implemented on the operational Doppler radar networks. While the technology of radar polarimetry has matured, and polarimetric radar data (PRD) are available nationally and globally, radar polarimetry is still in its initial stages for operational usage. There is a lot of room for research and development, especially in using PRD. Phased array technology has recently been introduced to the weather community to increase data update rates to lengthen the lead-time of weather hazard warnings. Polarimetric phased array radar is desirable for future weather observations and multi-mission capabilities. This talk will provide the background information on radar polarimetry and its applications in weather observation, quantification and forecast. The status and challenges of polarimetric phased array radar research and development will be reviewed, and possible solutions will be discussed and examined. Research, design, and development of the Cylindrical Polarimetric Phased Array Radar demonstrator will be presented.