Joanne Simpson (born Joanne Gerould; March 23, 1923 – March 4, 2010) was the first woman to ever receive a Ph.D. in meteorology. Simpson was a graduate of the University of Chicago. Simpson was a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Joanne taught and researched meteorology at numerous universities as well as the federal government. Simpson contributed to many areas of the atmospheric sciences, particularly in the field of tropical meteorology. She has researched hot towers, hurricanes, the trade winds, air-sea interactions, and helped develop the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
When I first got to NASA, I realized I could talk science in the ladies' room. This was something new in my career, to find three or four other scientists in the ladies' room.
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Fact
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She earned a master's degree and doctorate at the University of Chicago. She was the first woman to obtain a PhD in meteorology.
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She spent 30 years at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, USA, where she was chief scientist for meteorology. She also carried out research at the Woods Hole Institute in Massachusetts, and was the director of NOAA's Experimental Meteorology Lab in Florida for several years.
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She was a pioneer in atmospheric science. She developed the first mathematical models of clouds (using a slide rule), and discovered mechanisms of hurricane movement and tropical air currents.
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