Daniel Cziczo elected 2025 AGU fellow
09-25-2025
Daniel Cziczo, Purdue University Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) professor, was elected as an AGU Fellow, joining a distinguished group of 52 individuals in the 2025 Class of Fellows. AGU, the world's largest Earth and space science association, bestows this honor annually to a select number of individuals who have made exceptional contributions. Since the program’s inception in 1962, less than 0.1% of AGU members have been selected as Fellows each year.
AGU Fellows are recognized for their scientific eminence, demonstrated through breakthroughs, discoveries or innovations that advance the Earth and space sciences. Fellows act as external experts, advising government agencies and other organizations outside the sciences upon request. Daniel Cziczo was selected for his exemplary leadership and outstanding scientific achievements, which have significantly advanced our understanding of atmospheric aerosols, focusing on the role of cloud formation, Earth's energy balance, and impacts from meteoritic debris and rocket emissions.
Cziczo’s research combines laboratory experiments and field studies to reveal how tiny particles interact with water vapor to form droplets and ice crystals, which are crucial components of Earth’s climate system. His team’s discoveries have advanced our understanding of how atmospheric particulate matter seeds cloud formation, a key process in regulating the planet’s radiative balance, initiating precipitation and improving climate model projections.
“Our discoveries have used synergistic laboratory and field studies to show that special particles, termed ice nucleating particles (INPs), effectively promote the nucleation of ice clouds,” says Cziczo. “We used collections of ambient ice crystals to show that rare INPs, not more common particles, are responsible for most cirrus ice cloud formation. The importance of INPs changed a decades-long paradigm.”
Cziczo’s group has expanded beyond terrestrial studies, repurposing cloud chambers to simulate other planets' conditions. This helped establish broader limits on ice nucleation, estimate meteoric material entering Earth’s atmosphere, and define bounds on water ice nucleation in the Martian atmosphere.
Cziczo holds a B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Chicago. “It is an honor to have been nominated to join the ranks of the AGU Union Fellows. I am grateful to my colleagues who enabled the research that made this possible," says Cziczo.
Honorees will be recognized at AGU25, which will convene in New Orleans, Louisiana and on 15-19 December 2025. Reflecting the theme 'Where Science Connects Us' at AGU25, the Honors Ceremony will recognize groundbreaking achievements that illustrate science's continual advancement, inspiring the AGU community with their stories and successes.
AGU is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.
About the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University
The Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) combines four of Purdue’s most interdisciplinary programs: geology and geophysics, environmental sciences, atmospheric sciences, and planetary sciences. EAPS conducts world-class research; educates undergraduate and graduate students; and provides our college, university, state and country with the information necessary to understand the world and universe around us. Our research is globally recognized; our students are highly valued by graduate schools and employers; and our alumni continue to make significant contributions in academia, industry, and federal and state government.
Written by: David Siple, communications specialist, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University
Photo by Brian Powell
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