Dr. L. Ruby Leung, an internationally renowned atmospheric scientist specializing in climate modeling and the water cycle at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been elected to membership in the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Leung is among the 106 new members elected worldwide to the 2017 class.

The NAE is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that is part of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. NAE focuses on maintaining a strong engineering community and bringing together experts to provide independent advice to the federal government on engineering and technology challenges. Leung was chosen by the NAE for her "leadership in regional and global computer modeling of the Earth's climate and hydrological processes."

Leung's research helps inform national decisions related to water, agriculture, energy, public health, and national security. As the Chief Climate Scientist of the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME) project, she works with four dedicated groups on individual Earth system components as well as the coupled system to provide scientific guidance that will lead to strong climate modeling results.

She is also the principal investigator for the Water Cycle and Climate Extremes Modeling project, a science focus area at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory supported by the Regional and Global Climate Modeling program.