Announcing HeatHack: a hackathon for early-career researchers

[Karen McKinnon]

Dear colleagues,

We are hosting a hackathon for early-career researchers in summer 2026 at NCAR! Please share with your networks and research groups, or consider applying if you are an early-career researcher. More details are below, and can be found on the HeatHack website (https://karenamckinnon.github.io/heathack.html). Applications are due on February 27, and can be submitted at: https://forms.gle/7Xk5EgJ93btuVAQj8 

Please consider joining us in Boulder, CO during summer 2026 for HeatHack: a hackathon that will bring together early-career researchers in climate science and statistics to address important and timely questions about heat. While invisible, heat remains the most deadly weather event in the developed world, and we can confidently say that heat extremes will increase in a warming world. Thus, now is the time to come together and answer questions such as:

- What is the role of aerosols in driving heat extremes in the past and the future?
- When and why is heat predictable beyond weather timescales?
- Do data-driven atmospheric emulators capture mechanisms and trends in heat?
- ... and more!

The hackathon is open to early-career researchers in climate science, statistics, and impacts-related fields (e.g. health) that are interested in heat extremes. For the purposes of the hackathon, we define early-career status as being within three years of attaining a permanent position (e.g., tenure-track or another non-term-limited appointment). This category encompasses PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and assistant faculty or research staff. At this time, the hackathon is not open to undergraduate or master's students.

In the event that there are more applicants than open spots, applicants will be chosen based on the relevance of their research experience and expertise to the hackathon theme, and to ensure a broad range of participants in terms of expertise, skills, and career stage.

The organizing committee will provide participants with ideas and examples for topics to explore, and connect groups with each other in advance of the hackathon. During the hackathon, participants will learn from lectures and tutorials, but spend most of the time interacting with their group to develop new research. Participants will have access to NCAR computing resources.

A limited amount of travel support (including flights, hotel, ground transportation, and food) is available. If you are interested in receiving travel support, please include this information in the application form.

Please contact Karen McKinnon, kmckinnon at ucla dot edu, with additional questions.

Sincerely, 

The HeatHack organizing committee

Karen McKinnon (UCLA)
Isla Simpson (NCAR)
Geeta Persad (UT Austin)
Whitney Huang (Clemson)
Mark Risser (LBNL)
Nathan Hwangbo (UCLA)
Fucheng Yang (UCLA)

--

Karen McKinnon

Associate Professor of Statistics and the Environment

University of California, Los Angeles

Mathematical Sciences Building 8967

https://karenamckinnon.github.io/