Christopher Simmons - Earth System Modelling Group

Christopher Simmons
Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
McGill University, 805 Rue Sherbrooke O., Montréal, QC H3A 2K6
Telephone: Office [phone]; Residence [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.esmg.mcgill.ca/Chris.htm
(Home address: 3550 Ave. Lorne, Apt. 15, Montréal, QC, H2X 2A6)
1. Education
2008-Present: McGill University, Montréal, QC
PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, comprehensive examination
passed, thesis in progress, supervised by L.A. Mysak and H.D. Matthews
Expected Graduation: August 2012. (current GPA: 4.0/4.0)
2006-2008: McGill University, Montréal, QC
MSc in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; Thesis (Dean’s Honour List),
supervised by L.A. Mysak, Prof. (GPA: 4.0/4.0)
2003-2006: Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
BSc honors in Meteorology, minors in mathematics and history (GPA:
4.0/4.0)
2. Professional Positions
 Sept. 2008 – Present: Graduate Research Assistant, Early Anthropogenic Project,
supervised by L.A. Mysak (Prof., McGill) and H.D. Matthews
(Asst. Prof., Concordia)
 Sept. 2011 – Present: Concordia University Instructor, Geog 378 (The Climate System)
 Sept. 2010 – Dec. 2010: Teaching Assistant, Fall 2010, Natural Disasters (ATOC 185/EPSC
185), McGill University.
 Sept. 2009 – Dec. 2009: Teaching Assistant, Fall 2009, Introduction to Atmospheric
Sciences (ATOC 181/210), McGill University.
 July 2008 – Present: Administrative Assistant for the International Association for the
Physical Sciences of the Ocean (IAPSO) Presidency and the Earth
Systems Modelling Group (McGill)

 Sept. 2006 – Aug. 2008: Graduate Research Assistant, principal researcher and
coordinator of the Medieval Interiors Illumination Data Collection
Project (directing a research team of four individuals in France,
Germany, and Spain).
 Dec. 2004 – May 2006: Undergraduate Research Assistant to Jongnam Choi, Assoc.
Prof., principal researcher on the Campus Crime and Climate
Project.
 Sept. 2001 – May 2006: Television Weather Forecaster and Presenter for WWIR-TV
(Western Illinois), internship: weekly live, on-air forecasts.
3. Service and Volunteer Work
 Aug. 2009 – Jan. 2011: McGill University Principal’s (President’s) Task Force for
Diversity, Academic Excellence, and Community Engagement.
(Montréal, QC).
 Oct. 2009: Department representative to the Post-Graduate Student Society
Council (Montréal, QC).
 Sept.-Nov., 2007-2008: Founder and leader of the McGill’s graduate student forecasting
group (http://www.esmg.mcgill.ca/forecast.htm) (Montréal, QC).
 Sept. 2007 – July 2009: Biweekly volunteer at an anonymous community peer counseling
and referral service (Montréal, QC).
 Sept. 1999 – Aug. 2006: Tri States Radio/Audio Information Service, weekly radio
broadcast for visually-impaired individuals (Macomb, IL)
 May 1999 – Aug. 2006: Severe Storm Spotter for the National Weather Service
in the Quad Cities (Macomb, IL)
4. Other Work Experience
 July 2001 – July 2006: Experiment Field Hand, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Product
Development and Delivery Centre (Adair, IL)
5. Peer-Reviewed Publications

 Simmons C, & Mysak L (2009) The transmissive properties of medieval stained glass in
European churches. Submitted to Architectural Science Review (Aug. 2009)
 Simmons C, & Mysak L (2011) Stained glass and climate change: How are they connected?
Atmosphere-Ocean, Accepted and in Press, May 2011.
6. Theses and Technical Reports
 Simmons, C. (2008). Fiat lux: Climatic considerations in medieval stained glass aesthetics.
MSc Thesis, McGill University. <http://www.esmg.mcgill.ca/chris'%20cathedrals/Fiat%20Lux.pdf>
 Simmons, C. (2007). Let there be light: Stained glass and the late medieval climate transition.
Centre for Climate and Global Change Research, Report 2007-1. Available
<http://www.esmg.mcgill.ca/chris%27%20cathedrals/C2GCR%20Report%202007-1.pdf>.
 Simmons, C. (2006). The influence of latent heat and topography on the evolution of
midlatitude tropical-like cyclones. BSc Geog. Thesis, Western Illinois University.
<http://www.esmg.mcgill.ca/bscgeogthesis.pdf>
 Simmons, C. (2006). Climate Change and Medieval Sacred Architecture. BSc Honors Thesis,
Western Illinois University. <http://www.esmg.mcgill.ca/bschonorsthesis.pdf>
7. Conferences and Presentations
 Simmons, C.T. ―An investigation of the Holocene’s natural carbon cycle using a model of
intermediate complexity: The role of Southern Ocean overturning‖ (oral and poster
conference and seminar presentations)
o International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Meeting 2011 (1 Jul.) in Melbourne,
Australia
o European Geosciences Union General Meeting 2011 (4 April) in Vienna, Austria.
o International EMIC Workshop 2011 (18 Jan.) in Potsdam, Germany
o Invited Seminar Lecture (in French) at the Institut Armand-Frappier (Parlons
Sciences series) (12 Jan., 2011), Laval, QC
o American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2010 (14 Dec.) in San Francisco, CA.
o Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic 2010 Annual Meeting (1 Jun, 2010) in
Ottawa, ON.
o Invited Seminar Lecture at the Université Catholique de Louvain (11 May, 2010) in
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
o European Geosciences Union General Meeting 2010 (7 May) in Vienna, Austria.

 Simmons, C.T. ―Stained glass and climate change: How are they connected?‖ (oral and
poster conference presentations)
o International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Meeting 2011 (2 Jul.) in Melbourne,
Australia
o European Geosciences Union General Meeting 2010 (4 May) in Vienna, Austria.
o Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society 2010 Annual Meeting (1 Jun,
2010) in Ottawa, ON.
o Canadian Space Agency Workshop (10 Feb., 2010) in Montréal, QC
o American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2009 (18 Dec.) in San Francisco, CA.
 Simmons, C.T. ―Interactions of elevated supercells with the stable boundary layer: An
observational study on the possible mechanisms for tornadogenesis in the Lawrence, Kansas
Supercell of 12 March, 2006.‖ <www.esmg.mcgill.ca/supercell.pdf>
o Canadian Space Agency Workshop (10 Feb., 2010) in Montréal, QC
o MOCA-09 IAPSO-IAMAS-IACS Joint Assembly (20 Jul., 2009) in Montréal, QC.
 Simmons, C.T. (2009, 18 March) Temples of glass: Developing a relative transmissivity
index for the in-situ analysis of medieval glazing. Presented at the McGill AOS student
seminar series in Montréal, QC. <www.esmg.mcgill.ca/templesofglass.pdf>
 Simmons, C.T. (2008, 11 May). The Grisaille Revolution and Climate Change. Presented at
the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, MI.
<http://www.esmg.mcgill.ca/chris'%20cathedrals/CIEM%20Presentation%20May%2011,%202008.pdf>
 Simmons, C.T. (2008, 9 April). Let there be light: climatic considerations in medieval stained
glass aesthetics. Presented at the McGill AOS student seminar series in Montréal, QC.
 Simmons, C.T. (2006, 16 April). Hurricane Catarina and Mediterranean tropical-like
cyclones: Genesis and maintenance. Presented at Western Illinois University Research Day
in Macomb, IL.
8. Scholarships and Awards
 GEC3 Scholarship Award, $2000 CAD (Institutional), March 2011
 McGill International Doctoral Award (MIDAS), $4450 CAD tuition waiver/year, McGill,
Academic, 2008/09 - Present
 Provost’s Graduate Fellowship, $3000 CAD, McGill, Academic, 2008/09
 Differential Fee Waiver, $3444 CAD Fall tuition reduction, Academic, 2007/10

 Tomlinson Fellowship Renewal, $15000 CAD, McGill, Research, 2007/09 - 2008/09
 McGill Graduate Studies Fellowship, $5000 CAD, McGill, Academic, 2007/09
 McGill Graduate Studies Fellowship, $5000 CAD, McGill, Academic, 2006/10
 Recruitment Excellence Fellowship, $5000 CAD, McGill, Academic, 2006/09
 Tomlinson Fellowship, $15000 CAD, McGill, Research, 2006/09 - 2007/09
 Meteorology Department Scholar, Western Illinois University, 2006/05
 Phi Kappa Phi National Fellowship Nominee, Western Illinois University, 2005/12
 First Place Illinois Centennial Honors College Writing Award, $25 USD, Western Illinois
University, 2005/05
 Sheila and Paul Nollen Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship, $500 USD, Western Illinois University,
2005/03
 Senior Honors Scholarship, $600 USD, Western Illinois University, 2005/09 - 2006/05
 Minority Achievement Textbook Scholarship, $200 USD/semester, Western Illinois
University, 2004/09 - 2006/05
 Frank W. Banks Memorial Scholarship, $1000 USD/year, Western Illinois University,
2003/09 - 2005/09
 First State Bank of Western Illinois Scholarship, $700 USD, Regional Award, 2003/09
 Most Outstanding Freshman Award, $300 USD, Western Illinois University, 2003/09
 UPI Margaret Schmidt Scholarship, $1000 USD, Provincial (Statewide) Award, 2003/09