NWI Director's Welcome

Welcome to the National Wind Institute (NWI) at Texas Tech University. The NWI is world-renowned for conducting innovative research in the areas of wind energy, wind hazard mitigation, wind-induced damage, severe storms, and wind-related economics.

The NWI is also home to world-class researchers with expertise in numerous academic fields such as atmospheric science, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, mathematics and economics, and the NWI offers the only Ph.D. degree in Wind Science and Engineering in the nation.

The NWI has always been an inclusive, multidisciplinary center with faculty and students from various disciplines crossing boundaries to collaborate. This culture is not easy to establish within the confines of a university, and the NWI has been doing it for 40 years! If longevity is any indication, the NWI has been doing some things right!

For those of you who do not know me, I have spent the majority of my career bridging the gap between the atmospheric science and engineering communities in an area best described as wind science. I'm a firm believer in the phrase "you can learn a lot by looking," so I have spent my career building measurement technologies to make unique atmospheric observations, and then analyzing the collected information to extract new information about the structure of near-surface wind flow.

I have always enjoyed field work in thunderstorms and hurricanes, because there are a myriad of logistical concerns to consider. A heightened level of planning is required to execute an experimental plan in a design-level wind event, and you simply cannot afford to miss an opportunity as you may not get another one for many years.

The NWI is a tremendous research institute with a unique suite of technical capabilities and facilities, and has an opportunity to significantly and positively impact society through innovative research, education and outreach focused on all things wind.

John Schroeder, Ph.D.  

Director, NWI

Official webpage for Dr. Schroeder