faculty portrait if available
Todd Murphy
Professor
School of Sciences
CNSB 310A
318-342-3428
ULM logo

Todd A Murphy, PhD
Professor, Atmospheric Sciences
Associate Director, Program Coordinator, Executive Director of the Louisiana Mesonet Program

Education

Ph D

2015, Atmospheric Science
University of Alabama in Huntsville

MS

2010, Atmospheric Science
University of Alabama in Huntsville

BS

2008, Meteorology
University of South Alabama

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Todd Murphy is an associate professor of atmospheric science at ULM, joining the faculty in the Fall of 2014. He has served as the coordinator of the atmospheric science program since 2018. Dr. Murphy received his B.S. in meteorology from the University of South Alabama, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in atmospheric science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Dr. Murphy is dedicated to undergraduate education in atmospheric science and meteorology, and has a broad range of teaching interests. He also serves as the faculty advisor for the ULM student chapter of the American Meteorological Society.

Dr. Murphy operates and maintains several remote sensing instruments at ULM, including the S-band polarimetric Doppler weather radar, two rawinsonde systems, and a microwave radiometer.

Research Interests

  • Radar meteorology
  • Integrated approaches to remote sensing of the atmosphere and boundary layer
  • Atmospheric waves (gravity waves, bores, etc.)
  • Severe local storms & their environments (especially in the southeast)
  • External impacts on severe storms
  • Public perception to severe weather

Recent Publications

Fricker, T., Murphy, T. A. Quantifying the effects of the KULM radar on local climatology, operational success, and societal impacts of tornadoes. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology.
Hosek, M., Ziegler, C. L., Biggerstaff, M. I., Murphy, T. A., Wang, Z. Relation between baroclinity, horizontal vorticity, and mesocyclone evolution in the 6-7 April 2018 Monroe, LA tornadic supercell during VORTEX-SE. Monthly Weather Review.
Murphy, T. A., Stetzer, T. M., Walker, L., Fricker, T., Bryant, B., Woodrum, C. (2022). Analysis of the April 12, 2020 North Louisiana Tornadic QLCS (pp. 43-62). Journal of Operational Meteorology.
Lyza, A. W., Murphy, T. A., Goudeau, B. T., Pangle, P. T., Knupp, K. R., Wade, R. A. (2020). Observed Near-storm Environment Variations across the Southern Cumberland Plateau System in Northeastern Alabama (pp. 1465-1482). Monthly Weather Review.
Murphy, T. A., Knupp, K. R. (2013). An analysis of cold season supercell storms using the synthetic dual-Doppler technique (pp. 602-624). Monthly Weather Review.
Coleman, T. A., Murphy, T. A., Knupp, K. R., Carey, L. D., Anderson, M. E. (2014). Extensive observations of the transition region of a winter storm (pp. 1-12). Journal of Operational Meteorology.
Murphy, T. A., Palmer, C., Entremont, C., Lamb, J. D. (2019). Early operational successes of the University of Louisiana Monroe's polariemtric S-band Doppler radar (pp. 105-116). Journal of Operational Meteorology.
Murphy, T. A., Wade, R. A., Carcione, B. C. (2016). Observations and operational considerations of the 4 June 2013 chaff event in northern Alabama (pp. 34-45). Journal Operational Meteorology.
Knupp, K. R., Murphy, T. A., Coleman, T. A., Wade, R. A., Mullins, S., Schultz, C., Schultz, E., Carey, L., Sherrer, A., McCaul, E., Carcione, B., Latimer, S., Kula, A., Laws, K., Marsh, P., Klockow, K. (2014). Meteorological Overview of the Devastating 27 April 2011 Tornado Outbreak (pp. 1041-1062). Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

Research Grants

Murphy, T. A. (Principal), "Acquisition of a LiDAR Ceilometer for Atmospheric Science Research and Education" (Pending Funding Decision), Sponsored By Louisiana Board of Regents: Targeted Enhancement Program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $53,577. (October 2022 - Present).
Knupp, K. (Principal), Murphy, T. (Co-Principal), "Collaborative Proposal: Observational Investigations of the Antecedent BL Characteristics/Variability and Internal Structure of Severe QLCSs" (Funded), Sponsored By NOAA: VORTEX-USA program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $276,986. (October 2021 - September 2024).
Murphy, T. (Principal), "Improved Nowcasting of QLCS Tornadoes in the United States" (Funded), Sponsored By NOAA: VORTEX-USA program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $121,726. (August 1 2022 - July 31 2024).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Fricker, T. (Co-Principal), Leppert, K. (Co-Principal), "Deploying a JupyterHub Server to Support Education and Research at ULM" (Funded), Sponsored By UCAR Unidata Equipment Awards, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $15,044. (June 1 2022 - May 31 2023).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Bryant, B. (Co-Principal), "Verifying the Three-Ingredients Method for Nowcasting QLCS Tornadoes" (Funded), Sponsored By UCAR COMET NWS Partners Program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $14,971. (January 4 2021 - August 1 2022).
Fricker, T. (Principal), Leppert, K. (Co-Principal), Murphy, T. (Co-Principal), "Developing an Improved Geosciences Curriculum Through A Data Science Perspective" (Funded), Sponsored By Louisiana Board of Regents: Targeted Enhancement Program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $29,780. (June 2021 - June 2022).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Karlowitz, P. M. (Co-Principal), "RAPID: Preliminary Scientific Assessment of the Monroe, LA Tornado on 12 April 2020" (Funded), Sponsored By NSF, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $51,763. (May 1 2020 - April 30 2022).
Murphy, T. (Principal), "AGS-FIRP Track 3: An Investigation into Convective Response in Extreme Southwestern Terrain (CREST)" (Not Funded), Sponsored By NSF: AGS program (subcontract through ERAU), External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $69,308. (January 2022).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Leppert, K. D. (Co-Principal), Fricker, T. (Co-Principal), "Integrating Research and Education Through a Regional Meteorological Micronet" (Not Funded), Sponsored By Louisiana Board of Regents: Targeted Enhancement Program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $95,280. (October 2020).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Bhattacharjee, J. (Co-Principal), Chenoweth, M. S. (Co-Principal), Leppert, K. D. (Co-Principal), "MRI: Acquisition of a Portable Doppler Wind Lidar for Atmospheric Science Research and Education" (Funded), Sponsored By NSF, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $274,857. (October 1 2018 - September 30 2020).
Buban, M. (Principal), Dobosy, R. (Co-Principal), Lee, T. (Co-Principal), Meyers, T. (Co-Principal), Murphy, T. A. (Co-Principal), "Using Observations from the VORTEX-SE to Improve Predictions of Tornado Formation by Identifying Land Surface Forcings Responsible for Convection Initiation and Low-level Vorticity Enhancement" (Not Funded), Sponsored By NSF PREEVENTS program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $90,746. (March 2017 - February 2020).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Wade, R. A. (Co-Principal), "Improved Understanding of Environments Supportive of Tornadic Quasi-Linear Convective Systems in the Southeastern United States" (Not Funded), Sponsored By NOAA: VORTEX-SE program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $132,308. (September 1 2020 - 2020).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), "Southeastern Radar Site Surveys" (Not Funded), Sponsored By NOAA: VORTEX-SE program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $31,230. (November 1 2019 - December 31 2019).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), "Sounding sites during MESO18-19" (Funded), Sponsored By NOAA: VORTEX-SE program, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $33,489. (November 1 2018 - September 30 2019).
Brown, M. (Principal), Murphy, T. A. (Co-Principal), Wade, R. A. (Co-Principal), "Understanding the Variability of Southeastern Severe Storm Environments using Mobile Soundings during VORTEX-SE" (Funded), Sponsored By NOAA, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $83,800. (October 1 2016 - September 30 2019).
Rohli, R. (Principal), Rivera-Monroy, V. (Co-Principal), Miller, P. (Co-Principal), Konsoer, K. (Co-Principal), Kaller, M. (Co-Principal), Murphy, T. A. (Supporting), "Thermal, Evaporative, and Momentum Flux Influences of the Lower Mississippi River on Near-Shore Environmental Processes" (Not Funded), Sponsored By LSU - Coastal Marine Institute - Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $44,772. (2019).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Wade, R. A. (Co-Principal), Terwey, W. (Co-Principal), "Understanding the Variability of Southeast Severe Environments in the Presence of Complex Terrain" (Not Funded), Sponsored By NOAA, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $86,454. (2017 - 2019).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), "Radar and sounding support during targeted Spring 2018 VORTEX-SE deployments" (Funded), Sponsored By NOAA, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $12,190. (February 1 2018 - September 30 2018).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Chenoweth, M. S. (Co-Principal), Jackson, T. (Co-Principal), "Improving Weather Hazard and Geospatial Literacy in North Louisiana" (Not Funded), Sponsored By NOAA, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $450,000. (2018).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Leppert, K. D. (Co-Principal), "Integrating research and education through continuous atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles" (Funded), Sponsored By Louisiana Board of Regents, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $139,500. (June 2016 - June 2017).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), Leppert, K. D. (Co-Principal), "AWIPS-II Infrastructure Upgrade at the University of Louisiana at Monroe" (Funded), Sponsored By University Center for Atmospheric Research: Unidata Equipment Awards, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $17,904. (June 2016 - May 2017).
Murphy, T. A. (Principal), "The Weather Channel Guest Speaker" (Funded), Sponsored By ULM CAES: Salary Recovery Funds, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $950. (February 2016 - June 2016).

Awards & Honors

April 2021 Excellence in Research.

February 2020 Spring 2020 Researcher of the Semester.

July 2018 Endowed Professorship in Geosciences.

April 2018 Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching.

Courses Taught

ATMS 1001INTRO TO WEATHER/CLIMATE I, 15 course(s)

ATMS 1002INTRO TO WEATHER/CLIMATE II, 27 course(s)

ATMS 1003BASIC METEOROLOGY LAB I, 4 course(s)

ATMS 1025INTRO TO FORECASTING LAB, 4 course(s)

ATMS 2000WEATHER ANALY AND FORECASTING, 10 course(s)

ATMS 3005DYNAMIC METEOROLOGY I, 1 course(s)

ATMS 3006DYNAMIC METEOROLOGY II, 1 course(s)

ATMS 3025INTER WEATHER FORECASTING, 8 course(s)

ATMS 4003SYNOPTIC METEOROLOGY LAB, 11 course(s)

ATMS 4004MESOSCALE METEOROLOGY, 10 course(s)

ATMS 4006RADAR METEOROLOGY, 5 course(s)

GEOS 1001EARTH SCIENCE, 12 course(s)

GEOS 1002NATURAL DISASTERS AND HAZARDS, 8 course(s)

GEOS 3032BROADCAST METEOROLOGY PRACT, 8 course(s)