Kara Sulia is a Research Faculty at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC) at the University at Albany. Dr. Sulia’s research has focused on understanding the growth mechanisms of frozen hydrometeors and their influence on cloud systems. In particular this includes the development of a habit-dependent ice microphysical parameterization. This work includes particle aggregation, and more recently, the impact of habit on electrification and lightning production. More recently, and as Director of the xCITE Laboratory at ASRC, Dr. Sulia’s research focus has shifted to advanced computational methods including advanced data analytics, machine learning/AI, and software development. Much of this work melds observed or NWP data with non-meteorological data, such as camera images or utility outages, with aims to improve our understanding of how weather impacts sectors vulnerable to weather-related emergencies. In addition to the development of new, unique models, is the necessity to improve explainability of these methods and effectively communicating/translating their outputs. As xCITE Lab Director, responsibilities expand beyond research to management of the lab and lab staff, including extensive high-end GPU-based hardware and scientific visualization, and management of the many projects that require these resources as well as xCITE expertise (e.g., GPU computing, training, web app development, data management, etc.).