Meet Our Team
Dedicated climate scientists, researchers, and graduate students advancing Louisiana's climate resilience through cutting-edge research, 24/7 monitoring, and essential climate services.
Expertise Meets Innovation
The LOSC team combines decades of experience in climatology, meteorology, and data science with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. Our multidisciplinary team works collaboratively to monitor Louisiana's climate, analyze long-term trends, and provide decision-support services to communities, agencies, and industries across the state.
Leadership
Jay Grymes
Louisiana State Climatologist
M.S. Physical Geography/Climatology, University of Delaware | B.A. Biological Sciences, University of Delaware
Jay Grymes serves as Louisiana's State Climatologist, appointed by Governor Jeff Landry and housed jointly at the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and Louisiana State University. With over three decades of experience in climate science, broadcast meteorology, and emergency management, Grymes is nationally recognized for his expertise in tropical meteorology, climate monitoring, and disaster response.
Grymes previously served as Louisiana State Climatologist from 1991 to 2003, during which he established LOSC's reputation for excellence in emergency response, particularly during major hurricanes including Andrew and Georges. After two decades as Chief Meteorologist at WAFB-TV (CBS) in Baton Rouge, he returned to lead LOSC in 2024, bringing both scientific rigor and exceptional communication skills to the role.
Since his return, Grymes has spearheaded the modernization of LOSC's services, including the launch of the AI-powered Climate Explorer, enhanced data delivery systems, and strengthened partnerships with state and federal agencies. His research focuses on Louisiana's climate variability, tropical cyclone impacts, and the practical application of climate information to decision-making across agriculture, emergency management, and coastal resilience.
Core Team
Nazla Bushra, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor - Research
Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Dr. Bushra leads the Climate and Coastal Resilience Lab and serves as a key researcher at LOSC. Her expertise spans climate data analysis, statistical modeling, artificial intelligence, and machine learning applications in climate science. She specializes in extreme weather event analysis, long-term climate trend assessment, and climate change impacts on coastal regions. Dr. Bushra manages LOSC's data quality control efforts and oversees custom climate data requests from researchers and state agencies.
Kyle Brehe, M.S.
User Services Climatologist
M.S. Atmospheric Sciences, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Kyle brings extensive experience in applied climatology, having served in various roles at LOSC and the Southern Regional Climate Center since 2008. He specializes in climate monitoring systems, drought monitoring, weather station networks, and real-time data analysis. Kyle plays a critical role in LOSC's 24/7 monitoring operations, web-based climate data product design, and emergency response support during severe weather events. His expertise includes climate data quality control, instrumentation, and dissemination of climate products to the public.
Climate and Coastal Resilience Lab
Led by Dr. Nazla Bushra
The Climate and Coastal Resilience Lab conducts cutting-edge research on climate variability, coastal dynamics, and the application of advanced computational methods to climate science. Our graduate students contribute to LOSC's mission while advancing climate research and developing expertise in data science, machine learning, and climate modeling.
Mahir Tazwar
Graduate Research Assistant
Mahir focuses on climate data analysis, computational modeling, and machine learning applications in climate science. He contributes to LOSC's research initiatives and data analysis projects.
Tahmida Muna
Graduate Research Assistant
Tahmida specializes in coastal climate dynamics, statistical analysis, and climate resilience research. She supports LOSC's coastal monitoring and climate assessment activities.
Join Our Team
LOSC and the Climate and Coastal Resilience Lab welcome talented researchers, data scientists, and students passionate about climate science and coastal resilience. We offer opportunities for graduate research assistantships, collaborative research projects, and hands-on learning experiences in applied climatology.
We're Looking For:
- Graduate students with strong computational and programming skills (Python, R, machine learning)
- Researchers interested in climate data science, AI/ML applications, or coastal resilience
- Students passionate about serving Louisiana communities through climate science
- Collaborative individuals eager to work on interdisciplinary climate research
Note: Graduate research assistantships are subject to funding availability. However, we welcome inquiries from motivated students interested in collaboration opportunities, volunteer research experiences, or learning-focused engagements to build skills in climate science and data analysis.