Robert Jay Charlson

Robert Jay Charlson is an American atmospheric scientist, climate scientist, pioneer in the fields of climate forcing and climate change, and coauthor of the CLAW hypothesis. He is professor of Atmospheric Sciences, chemistry, and geophysics at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Charlson earned his PhD from the University of Washington. He is a world expert in atmospheric chemistry, aerosol physics, aerosol/cloud/climate interaction, aerosol and cloud instrumentation.

On September 30, 1936, Robert Jay Charlson was born at Santa Clara, California and his mother's name was listed as Stucky. On March 16, 1964, a marriage license listed Robert J. Charlson, age 27, born at San Jose, California, joined Patricia E. Allison, age 23, born at Greenville, South Carolina, in lawful wedlock in the University Christion Church at King County, Washington. The license was issued on February 24, 1964 and filed with the King County Auditor on March 18, 1964.

Charlson received a BS and MS degrees in chemistry from Stanford University. Harold S. Johnston was his undergraduate advisor. His master's thesis was titled: “Techniques for High Speed Flash Photolysis”. In 1964, Charlson was awarded a PhD in physics with an emphasis on atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington, Seattle. His advisor was Konrad Büttner.

• National Academy of Sciences, Panel on Aerosol Forcing of Climate, member
• Atmosphere/Ocean Experiment, Science Advisory Committee
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change aerosol section reports, author, 1994 and 1995

• Stanford University, Honors at entrance
• Phi Lambda Upsilon member
• Stanford University Undergraduate Scholarships, 1955–1958
• Imperial College, London University, Fulbright Scholar, 1964–1965, Cloud Physics.
• NATO Visiting Lectureship in Meteorology, Germany and England, September–October 1969
• Sigma Xi, RESA Regional Lecturer, Pacific Area, 1972–1973; Speaker at Spring 1973 Initiation Meeting, University of Washington
• World Meteorological Association, Gerbier-Mumm Award, (with James Lovelock, Meinrat Andreae and Stephen G. Warren), interdisciplinary scientific paper pertaining to meteorology, 1988
• In 1993, Stockholm University awarded Charlson an honorary doctoral degree, "Hedersdoktor," PhDh.c.
• American Meteorological Society, fellow, 1995
• American Geophysical Union, fellow, 1995
• In 1995, as a result of the work Charlson pursued, the journal Science named the sulfate aerosol as one of nine runners-up for Molecule of the Year.
• In 2009, Charlson received the ASLI Choice Award from the Atmospheric Science Librarians International for the work titled: “Clouds in the perturbed climate system: their relationship to energy balance, atmospheric dynamics, and precipitation”. This publication was edited by Jost Heintzenberg and Robert J. Charlson. The award is the highest award and represents ASLI’s Choice “for quality, authoritativeness, and comprehensive coverage of new and important aspects of cloud research”.

• Editor. (1995). Molecule of the Year: A New Form of Matter Unveiled. Science. 270: 1902.
• Heintzenberg, Jost & Charlson, Robert J. (2009). Clouds in the Perturbed Climate System. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Editor. (2010). 2009 ASLI Choice Awards. Atmospheric Science Librarians International.

• Photon-counting integrating nephelometer. U.S. Patent No. 3,953,127.
• Measurement of the Lidar ratio for atmospheric aerosols using a 180-degree-backscatter nephelometer. U.S. Patent No. 6,404,494.
• Method and apparatus for investigating temporal development of particles or droplets in gas-vapor mixture. U.S. Patent No. 6,766,702.

• Ahlquist, Norman C., Waggoner, Alan P., & Charlson, R. J. (1976). Photon-counting integrating nephelometer. U.S. Patent No. 3,953,127. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Issued April 27, 1976.
• Masonis, Sarah J., Anderson, Theodore L., & Charlson, Robert J. (2002). Measurement of the Lidar ratio for atmospheric aerosols using a 180-degree-backscatter nephelometer. U.S. Patent No. 6,404,494. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Issued June 11, 2002.
• Heintzenberg, Jost, Charlson, R. J., Stratmann, Frank, Wendisch, Manfred, & Wurzler, Sabine. (2004). Method and apparatus for investigating temporal development of particles or droplets in gas-vapor mixture. U.S. Patent No. 6,766,702. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Issued July 27, 2004.