Professor Gabriel Vecchi, the Knox Taylor Professor of Geosciences, was recognized for his ground-breaking work on understanding short- and long-term changes to the oceans and atmosphere, including the monsoons, El Niño, and the impact of climate on tropical cyclones, weather extremes, and global patterns of rainfall and drought. 

Vecchi joined the faculty of Princeton University in 2017. He is jointly appointed in the Department of Geosciences and the High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI). He has served as the director of HMEI since 2021. Vecchi is also an associated faculty member in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) program and the deputy director of the Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System (CIMES), a joint institute between Princeton and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He received his B.A. from Rutgers University and Ph.D. from the University of Washington.

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is the world's largest Earth and space science association. Fellowship in AGU is awarded annually to a select number of individuals who have made exceptional contributions. Fewer than 0.1% of AGU members are selected as Fellows each year. Entering Fellows will be inducted at the AGU’s annual conference in Washington D.C. this December.