Humans of CIRES: Anna McAuliffe
Associate scientist in NOAA GML is overwintering at the South Pole from 2026 to 2027
Spotlight
Anna McAuliffe is a CIRES associate scientist working in NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory. She loves hands-on work, building instruments that measure greenhouse gases and deploying them on ships and aircraft. In November, she will be heading down to the South Pole to collect atmospheric data — and she will stay there for an entire year. McAuliffe is a private pilot, and she recently earned a glider rating and “discovered the magic of soaring in Colorado’s mountains.”
The National Observations of Greenhouse Gases Aircraft Profiles (NOGAP) project. “I helped build the measurement system and integrate it aboard both a Mooney and NOAA’s King Air. I joined the first Mooney flight to help refine the route and work through the operation with the pilot, then later flew aboard the King Air when the project moved to that.”
Humans of CIRES Q&A
What do you work on at CIRES?
For the past four years, I’ve worked within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Monitoring Laboratory (NOAA GML), primarily building and deploying greenhouse gas instruments aboard ships and aircraft. I recently transitioned to a new role with NOAA GML that will take me to the South Pole for a year (overwintering), where I’ll operate instruments and collect atmospheric observations at the baseline observatory.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I love the hands-on side of science: building instruments, making measurements, and understanding where data comes from at its source. Fieldwork and troubleshooting can be challenging, but it’s deeply satisfying to know that the data we collect today could support scientific discoveries for decades, or even centuries, into the future.
Tell us about a hobby of yours.
I’m a private pilot and love flying single-engine airplanes, but this past spring I earned my glider rating and discovered the magic of soaring in Colorado’s mountains. On especially unstable days, gliders can climb to nearly 18,000 feet (the legal VFR limit) and fly for hours and over long distances without an engine, bundled up and breathing supplemental oxygen (even when it’s 100°F on the ground)! I’m incredibly grateful to the Soaring Society of Boulder, whose members have instructed, towed, and mentored me.
What is your go-to karaoke song?
“Don't Stop Me Now” by Queen
What do you enjoy most about working at CIRES and CU Boulder?
One of the things I appreciate most about working at CIRES is the tuition benefit at CU Boulder. Through it, I’ve taken courses in aerospace engineering, atmospheric and oceanic sciences, and with the Earth Lab. Taking classes after work is definitely challenging, but the opportunity shouldn’t be taken for granted. Whether we are scientists, technicians, or administrators, I believe continuing to learn helps us develop new skills, broaden our perspectives, and bring fresh ideas to our work.
