TEMPE, AZ, October 07, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Anthony James Brazel, PhD, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Marked by pioneering research, dedicated mentorship and a commitment to advancing scientific understanding through both fieldwork and academic leadership, Dr. Brazel's distinguished career in climatology and geography spans more than five decades. Since 2011, he has held the title of professor emeritus at the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University, where he continues to mentor students and participate in research initiatives. He is also an affiliate faculty member with the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State, furthering interdisciplinary collaboration on pressing environmental issues.

From 1991 to 1997, Dr. Brazel served as Chair of Geography at Arizona State, where he helped shape the direction of geographical sciences and urban planning programs. His tenure as a full professor of geography from 1984 to 2011 was characterized by significant advancements in climate research and the development of innovative educational programs. During this period, he also served as acting director of the School of Geographical Sciences from 2006 to 2007, providing strategic leadership during a time of institutional transition.

One of Dr. Brazel's primary lessons for future generations of students was to pursue subjects that complement geography, thus allowing them to build a well-rounded foundation that can ensure their sustained professional knowledge and success. While acknowledging that artificial intelligence has many potential benefits, he cautions that it can never replace the fundamental questioning nature of human beings that provides true insight.

Dr. Brazel's expertise was recognized nationally when he was appointed director of the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy, an Environmental Protection Agency initiative, from 2001 to 2003. His earlier service as a climatologist for Phoenix and the State of Arizona from 1979 to 1999 established him as a leading authority on regional climate patterns and their implications for urban development and environmental management.

Dr. Brazel began his tenure at Arizona State University began in 1974 as an assistant professor of geography, followed by roles as an associate professor from 1977 to 1984 and director of the Laboratory of Climatology within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 1979 to 1988. His influence extended to visiting professorships at institutions such as the University of Delaware, Louisiana State University, King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Brazel contributed as adjunct faculty at the Office of Arid Land Studies at the University of Arizona in 1991 and was an instructor at the Mountain Research Station within the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado in 1978 and 1980. He also served as a research physical scientist with the United States Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Survey Ice and Snow Project in Detroit from 1968 to 1969.

Dr. Brazel is widely recognized for his expertise in fieldwork — collecting original climate data and establishing weather stations on glaciers, high mountains and urban environments such as Phoenix, Arizona, and Windsor, Ontario. His pioneering efforts include being among the first geographers to model aspects of alpine climatology using digital and numerical surface climate models. His research on dust storms, desertification in the southwestern United States and regional climate change has had a lasting impact on both scientific understanding and public policy.

Dr. Brazel's foundational experiences include serving as a research climatologist for the High Mountain Environment Project with the Arctic Institute of North America in Yukon from 1967 to 1968, coordinator for hourly precipitation network design for Detroit and Windsor in 1971 and map curator for the Department of Geography at the University of Michigan from 1966 to 1967. He was also a research geographer for a map digitizing project with the Office of Naval Research and lab instructor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey from 1964 to 1965.

In reflection of his standing within the scientific community, Dr. Brazel is recognized as a fellow of several esteemed organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, the Royal Meteorological Society and the American Association of Geographers. He has served as president of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science and is an active member or contributor to organizations such as the American Geographical Society, the American Meteorological Society and the International Association on Urban Climate.

Dr. Brazel's academic foundation began with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics in 1963 and was followed by a Master of Arts in geography in 1965, both from Rutgers University. Dedicated to the ideals of continuous learning, he earned a doctorate in geography with an emphasis on climatology from the University of Michigan in 1972. His academic achievements provided him with a robust quantitative background that proved vital throughout his career — particularly in an era when quantitative methods were not yet widely adopted within geography.

A defining influence on Dr. Brazel's trajectory was Dr. Melvin G. Marcus — a glaciologist whose mentorship began during Dr. Brazel's undergraduate years at Rutgers. An invitation from Dr. Marcus to participate in fieldwork in Alaska sparked his enduring passion for arctic research and set him on a path toward advanced study at Michigan. Later inspiration came from Dr. Timothy Oke — a Canadian scholar regarded as a founder of urban climatology — whose shining example shaped Dr. Brazel's approach to both research rigor and mentorship.

To commemorate his academic contributions and pioneering research in climatology, Dr. Brazel has been honored with numerous accolades. He received the Central Arizona Project Long-Term Ecological Research Scholarly Contributions Award from Arizona State University in 2019, the Jeffrey Cook Prize in Desert Architecture from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 2018 and the Luke Howard Award from the International Association for Urban Climate in 2016. Additionally, he has been recognized with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of American Geographers Climate Specialty Group. The Anthony J. Brazel Research Exam Award with graduate student scholarship was named in his honor by Arizona State in 2007.

Reflecting on his storied journey, Dr. Brazel hopes his legacy will be defined by his unwavering support for students regardless of their background or circumstance — a principle celebrated by those he mentored — as well as by honest research that advanced knowledge through direct exploration rather than sole reliance on secondary data or technology. He is especially proud that many of his former students have gone on to successful careers across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Israel and throughout the United States; maintaining contact with them remains a source of inspiration that fuels his continued engagement with teaching and research.

Dr. Brazel views himself as part of a pioneering generation that brought quantitative rigor to geography beginning in the 20th century while championing hands-on discovery across diverse environments — from remote glaciers to urban deserts — leaving an indelible mark on both science and society through leadership, innovation and mentorship that continues into his ninth decade.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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