Prior to retirement in 2014, Deputy Director for Atmospheres, Earth Sciences Division, NASA GSFC

Dr. William K. M. Lau received his B. Sc. and B. Sc. Special from University of Hong Kong, both with 1st Class Honors. He received his MS and PhD from the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. He retired in 2014 from his position as Deputy Director for Atmospheres, Earth Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He is a Senior Research Scientist with ESSIC/University of Maryland, and a Senior Science Advisor of the Hong Kong Observatory. His research work spans more than three decades covering a wide range of topics in climate dynamics, tropical and monsoon meteorology, ocean-atmosphere interaction, aerosol-water cycle interaction, climate variability and climate change.

Dr. Lau received many awards for his research and scientific leadership, including among others, the American Meteorological Society Meisinger Award for Young Scientist, the NASA John Lindsay Award, the Goddard Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the William Nordberg Award in Earth Science. In 2010, Dr. Lau was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award of the Faculty of Science, HKU, for his outstanding contribution and leadership in Asian monsoon and climate change research, and in 2011, he received the Honorary Professorship award from the School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong. He was elected President-Elect (2013-2014), and President (2015-2016) of the Atmospheric Sciences Division, American Geophysical Union. He has been a member of the AMS since 1978. He is a Goddard Senior Fellow, as well as a fellow of both the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union. He has served on numerous international science steering group and expert panels, including among others, the WMO Monsoon Climate Expert Panel, the GEWEX Science Steering Group, the ACPC (Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation-Climate) Science Working Group, and Committee on Himalayan Glacier and Impacts on Downstream Population, National Research Council, and the US National Academy of Sciences.