Nolan Atkins

About Nolan

Dr. Nolan Atkins is the first provost of Northern Vermont University, which officially launched on July 1, 2018.

Nolan, who was the interim president of Lyndon State College during the 2016-17 academic year, is the former chair of Lyndon's nationally recognized Atmospheric Sciences Department. He began teaching at NVU-Lyndon in 1997 and was interim dean of academic affairs for 18 months until serving as president. He has a doctorate in meteorology from the University of California-Los Angeles.

Nolan's research interests are in the area of mesoscale meteorology with a focus on severe local storms. Professor Atkins has published papers on the sea breeze, dryline, bow echoes, tornadoes, and supercell thunderstorms. He has also been involved in many field programs including the Convection and Precipitation/Electrification Experiment (CaPE), the Bow Echo and MCV Experiment (BAMEX), and both Verification on the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX 1 and 2).

His current focus is on better understanding the relationship between the visual characteristics, damage, and radar signatures produced by tornadoes. He is also looking at the formation and structure of wall clouds observed with supercell thunderstorms.

As an administrator, he has a strong commitment to students, faculty, and staff in all his previous assignments and comes highly recommended for his integrity, forward-looking vision and data-driven decision making. He is responsible for managing academic programs, administering the review process for faculty promotion and tenure, overseeing development of courses and degree programs, and acting as the chief administrator for NVU's accreditation, among other duties.