Travis Sluka joined JCSDA in Boulder, CO, in February 2019, with the Sea-ice, Ocean, and Coupled Assimilation (SOCA) project, where he is responsible for helping implement ocean data assimilation and ensemble Kalman filters within the Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration (JEDI).

Travis came to atmospheric and oceanic science with a lifelong interest in computer programing, 3D graphics, and game design, which motivated him to obtain a B.S. in computer science and electrical engineering from the University of Virginia. Following his undergraduate studies, he spent 5 years as a civil servant for the US Navy at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in southeast Maryland. There, Travis developed high fidelity simulators for various military helicopters, missiles, and jet aircraft such as the F-18 Hornet and the new F-35 Lightning II, often leading to many fun hours of “testing” his code.

In 2012, he quit his job to become a full-time student again, obtaining his Ph.D. in atmospheric science from the University of Maryland under Dr. Eugenia Kalnay. His thesis focused on developing strategies for strongly coupled ocean-atmosphere ensemble data assimilation (i.e., using magic to let atmospheric observations improve ocean analyses and vice versa). His computer science background also led him to design and teach a graduate level course on high-performance computing while still a graduate student. Starting in late 2016, Travis began working at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center where he developed the Hybrid Global Ocean Data Assimilation System (Hybrid-GODAS). This system is slated to replace the aging ocean monitoring system currently used at CPC for tasks such as ENSO and tropical hazard outlook monitoring.

Outside of work, Travis enjoys cultivating an odd assortment of ever-changing hobbies. In the past, this has included chainmaille making for renaissance festivals, lepidoptera collecting, and medieval siege weapon construction. Now he spends his time on more “normal” activities, such as hand-tool based fine woodworking, bird photography, beer brewing, and German-style board games (anyone interested in a game night?).