Meet Dillon Elsbury

CIRES scientist Dillon Elsbury joined the Chemistry & Climate Processes research program in July 2021.

What do you do here at CSL?

I am scientist. I use general circulation model output to better understand the future of stratosphere to troposphere transport of ozone. I am especially interested in regional transport, for instance how stratosphere to troposphere transport differs over Western North America versus over the North Atlantic.

Where are you from/where did you grow up?

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, a very large suburb of Los Angeles.

What was your career path to get here?

After obtaining a degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara, I worked there for a year making watershed models to predict where pollutants end up in the environment. Wanting to continue work related to water quality and watershed management, I went to UC Irvine for graduate school and the person who would become my advisor suggested that we work on atmospheric rivers together. While that project never came to fruition, we did a handful of projects emphasizing stratosphere-troposphere coupling with an emphasis on regional (e.g., over the North Pacific) atmospheric dynamics. Coincidentally, Amy Butler among others in CSL and PSL had been publishing papers on regional transport of ozone into the troposphere from the stratosphere over the North Pacific and western North America. While I was not a pro in atmospheric chemistry, some of my previous work has helped continue the work Amy and other have been doing.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A professional basketball player.

What were you like in high school?

A nerd from public school who hated his new private Catholic school.

Name one thing about you that people wouldn't/don't expect.

I love chess.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Other atmospheric science projects, watching basketball, hiking, and being active.

If you could hop on a plane tomorrow, where would you go?

Iguazu Falls or Lake Victoria.

If time travel existed, when would you go?

The Kuiper Belt or Proxima Centauri B.

What energizes/motivates you at work?

I just want to be the best scientist that I can be.

What is the best piece of advice anyone has given you?

The past is the past and the present is a gift.

Name one item on your bucket list.

Sit courtside at an NBA game and heckle the players.

What animal most closely matches your personality?

A dolphin.