Chris Mattioli

Fresh out of college in 2013, Chris found himself in an ideal environment at the Laboratory. He was drawn in by the Laboratory's vibrant atmosphere and the opportunity to get involved in cutting-edge technical work. He felt at home with not only the Laboratory's environment, but also with the staff. "I felt that my opinion mattered. Everyone was open to my suggestions despite the fact that I was just out of school. I felt extremely welcomed by the Lab," Chris recalls. As someone who is passionate about his own work, Chris is motivated by having colleagues who enjoy what they do.

Chris develops weather analysis and forecasting tools for the U.S. Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration. He is currently working on the Offshore Precipitation Capability (OPC), a weather analysis system that lets air traffic controllers monitor precipitation and storms in areas outside of the range of weather radars. The OPC is useful when radars become inoperable or in areas where a radar's range degrades, such as over the ocean. Recently, air traffic controllers in Puerto Rico used the OPC after Hurricane Maria destroyed their weather radars. Chris says the most fulfilling part of his work is seeing the projects he works on help people in the real world.