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Asiya Badarunnisa Sainudeen

Advisor: Lofverstrom
Asiya Badarunnisa Sainudeen
520-621-6000
asiya@email.arizona.edu
Pronouns:
she/her/hers

Documents

CV

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate majoring in Geosciences and minoring in Global Change. I use state-of-the-art General Circulation Models (GCMs) to study the hydroclimate under distinct climatic forcings in the past, present, and future. My main research interest lies in understanding the factors modulating regional precipitation events in our deeply unequal world, where more frequent and extreme hydroclimatic events are worsening the vulnerabilities in developing and underdeveloped nations. My current research employs high-resolution GCM outputs to investigate the characteristics of the South American hydroclimate, specifically the role of different climate modes — e.g.,  El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) — in modulating regional rainfall patterns. We plan to employ an isotope-enabled, variable resolution simulation with prescribed sea surface temperature to study the tropical hydroclimate change over the Holocene and instrumental era. Our project leverages the moisture-tracking abilities in the isotope-enabled version of the Community Earth System Model (CESM)to assess sources and pathways of moisture recorded by tropical lake sediment archives and determine how these pathways are altered by the state of Pacific and Atlantic climate modes. Apart from writing hopeless Python scripts, I enjoy watching movies from various parts of the world, listening to audiobooks, travelling to places, and hiking.

Research Interests:
  • Climate Modeling
  • Climate change studies
  • Hydroclimate variability
  • ENSO teleconnections
  • Climate model evaluation
Awards and Recognitions:

College of Science Outstanding Graduate Student Departmental Award for Excellence
in Service - Awarded by the College of Science, University of Arizona, in recognition
of contributions to broader impacts through service and engagement beyond
academic responsibilities that benefit the department, university, and wider community.

Best Graduate Poster Award - GeoDaze 2025, the annual Geosciences conference at
the University of Arizona.

Galileo Circle Scholar (2024–2025) - Awarded by the College of Science, University of
Arizona, to outstanding graduate students in recognition of academic excellence and
research potential across the physical, mathematical, environmental, cognitive, and
life science