Professor, School of Geography and Development Professor of Public Health (EHS)
Community, Environment & Policy Department
Biography
Professor, School of Geography and Development
Professor, Public Health
Professor, Arid Lands Resources Sciences - GIDP
Professor, Entomology / Insect Science - GIDP
Professor, Global Change - GIDP
Professor, Remote Sensing / Spatial Analysis - GIDP
Professor, Statistics-GIDP
Professor, Hydrology / Atmospheric Sciences
Dr. Andrew C. Comrie is an interdisciplinary climate scientist and geographer at the University of Arizona. He is a professor with a primary appointment in the School of Geography & Development, with joint appointments in Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences and in Public Health. His research links climate with health, pathogens and vectors as well as with broader atmospheric environmental issues. He focuses on questions such as: How do disease patterns shift in space and time with changes in climate?
His specific expertise includes climate and health, synoptic climatology, urban and regional air pollution, climate variability and change in the Southwest United States, and techniques for mapping climate and environmental information. Dr. Comrie has published widely in specialized and interdisciplinary international journals and his work has been funded by numerous federal, state and local agencies. He has served as editor and editorial board member for several international scholarly journals and on many national and international professional committees and boards.
Dr. Comrie served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost from 2012-2018, and previously as Dean of the Graduate College & Associate Vice President for Research from 2006-2012.
Courses:
Dissertation
GEOG 920 (Spring 2019)
Research Synopsis
I am an interdisciplinary climate scientist and geographer. My research links climate with health, pathogens and vectors as well as with broader atmospheric environmental issues. I focus on questions such as: How do disease patterns shift in space and time with changes in climate?
My work in geography centers on connections between the atmospheric environment and related natural and social systems, emphasizing the links between environment and society with a focus on health. The range of my work includes climate and disease, synoptic climatology, urban and regional air pollution, climate variability and change, and techniques for mapping climate and environmental information. I have research interests in links between climate-related pathogens and disease vectors, summer and winter climate variability in the Southwest United States, climatological and human factors influencing air pollution at local and regional scales, climate and wildfire, and new techniques for mapping climate and air quality information. I pursue basic research in climate and its applications as well as decision-support and connections to policy.
The interdisciplinary nature of my research means that I work in collaboration with faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and undergraduates in the school and from a variety of programs across campus. I run the Applied Climate for Environment and Society (ACES) lab, which is housed in the department and serves as home for my lab group. We have close connections to other units on campus including the Institute for the Environment. Research in the ACES lab has been supported by numerous federal, state and local agencies. I have also combined my research interests with service as a journal editor and membership on numerous professional and science advisory boards and committees.
