Derek Hillman

Summer 2026

My name is Derek Hillman, I’m a graduate student at the University of Puerto Rico, in the Rio Piedras campus studying a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences with emphasis in atmospheric sciences. I’m also part of a fellowship at the University led by Olga Mayol.

This summer I’m working with Art Sedlacek and Fan Yang on the new, state-of-the-art convective cloud chamber called Nephos. We are running performance tests on the chamber to produce repeatable and reliable conditions that promote cloud formation for future scientists and researchers to study topics such as aerosol-cloud interactions, cloud formation processes, and cloud microphysics.

My career goals are to become an atmospheric scientist with a special interest in cloud microphysics and cloud formation. Clouds and cloud formation are very important concepts when it comes to understanding most weather conditions and filling knowledge gaps concerning cloud formation and their role on the Earth’s cooling. Which is why the use of a cloud chamber such as Nephos is very important and ground-breaking. Nephos offers scientist the opportunity to study a cloud for a long period of time as opposed to other cloud chambers (e.g., expansion chambers). The chamber is designed so that scientists can adjust sidewall temperatures, humidity, and aerosol numbers inside of the chamber to generate specific conditions for scientists to use all around the world, all to help address uncertainty on cloud formation processes.