Rate My Professor Peter Pilewskie

Peter Pilewskie is Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he also holds the position of Faculty Director of LASP. He earned a B.S. in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University in 1983, an M.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Arizona in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Arizona in 1989. His career began as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Arizona from 1983 to 1989. From 1989 to 2004, he served at NASA's Ames Research Center as Research Scientist and later Radiation Group Leader in the Atmospheric Physics Branch. He joined the University of Colorado Boulder in 2004 as Associate Professor, advancing to full Professor in 2009. Additional leadership roles include LASP Interim Associate Director for Science in 2025, Assistant Director for Science, Earth Atmosphere from 2020 to 2021, and Director of the LASP/NASA Goddard Sun-Climate Research Center since 2010. He has taught courses such as Introduction to Atmospheric Radiative Transfer and Remote Sensing, Radiative Processes in Planetary Atmospheres, and seminars in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

Pilewskie's research centers on atmospheric radiative transfer, cloud and aerosol remote sensing, radiative energy budget analysis, solar irradiance, and their implications for climate change. As Principal Investigator for NASA missions including the Total and Spectral Irradiance Sensor (TSIS) from 2005 to 2020, CLARREO Pathfinder since 2016, and Libera since 2020, his work provides critical observations for monitoring Earth's energy imbalance and climate trends from space. Key publications include 'Earth's Energy Imbalance More Than Doubled in Recent Decades' (AGU Advances, 2025), 'The Shortwave Spectral Radiometer for Atmospheric Science: Capabilities and Applications' (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2021), 'Shortwave Radiance to Irradiance Conversion for Earth Radiation Budget Satellite Observations: A Review' (Remote Sensing, 2021), and the book 'Assessment of Commercial Space Platforms for Earth Science Instruments' (2023). His contributions have earned him the American Meteorological Society Fellowship in 2018, Humboldt Research Award in 2011, NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1997, and numerous NASA Group Achievement Awards for missions such as TSIS, ATTREX, SORCE, and SEACRS. Pilewskie served as President of the IAMAS International Radiation Commission from 2021 to 2024, Bureau Member of SCOSTEP since 2019, and Member of the National Academies Committee on Earth Sciences and Applications from Space since 2022, underscoring his influence in the field.