Dr. Steve Nesbitt

Professor

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Biography

Steve Nesbitt is a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he also holds a joint appointment with the Environmental Sciences Division at Argonne National Laboratory. His research and teaching interests encompass radar meteorology, satellite meteorology, tropical meteorology, mesoscale meteorology, and data science. Nesbitt's work has significantly contributed to the understanding of processes involved in deep convective systems and high-impact weather events, particularly through satellite measurements of global precipitation systems and winter storm dynamics. He has been involved in 20 field experiments, serving as Principal Investigator for the NSF/NOAA/NASA RELAMPAGO field campaign in central Argentina and as Co-Lead Investigator for the DOE CACTI campaign. Nesbitt is a co-author of the 2018 textbook "Radar Meteorology" and has received several awards, including the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship and the NASA Robert H. Goddard award for scientific achievement. In recognition of his contributions, he was named a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society in 2025. His research interests also include mesoscale meteorology, radar meteorology, and cloud precipitation physics.

Research Interests

Courses

ATMS 315: Meteorological Instrumentation ATMS 406: Tropical Meteorology ATMS 410: Radar Remote Sensing ATMS 523: Weather Climate Data Analytics

Requirements for University of Illinois

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:17
Reading
Required:19
Writing
Required:21
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:103
GRE General
Prerequisites
Mathematical background Linear Algebra Calculus
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

GRE is optional for admission to all graduate programs in Statistics. Full status admission requires higher language scores than limited status.