Some scientific discoveries happen in an instant. Most do not.
Understanding Earth’s climate, predicting extreme weather, exploring the oceans and protecting satellites in space all require years — sometimes decades — of careful observation, experimentation and persistence. The discoveries that inform our understanding of the natural world often begin as ideas whose significance is not yet fully understood. Pursuing those ideas requires more than curiosity. It requires the freedom to explore.
Just as discovery doesn’t happen overnight, the foundations that allow a department to achieve success are built methodically and intentionally, over time. That is one of the greatest values of an endowed chair to a department.
Established through philanthropy, endowed chairs provide faculty with stable, long-term support that complements traditional research funding. They give researchers the flexibility to pursue bold ideas, mentor students and postdoctoral scholars, and investigate emerging questions that may ultimately become tomorrow’s breakthroughs. They also help universities recruit and retain exceptional faculty while strengthening academic programs for generations to come.
The UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences celebrated that investment during the UCLA Physical Sciences endowed chair installation ceremony, recognizing four faculty appointments made possible through the generosity of alumni, emeritus faculty, families and longtime friends of the department.
Together, these four appointments build on UCLA’s AOS department’s leadership in understanding Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and near-space environment.
Lawrence Harding Endowed Chair in Oceanography: Andrew Stewart
For Lawrence Harding, the endowed chair is both a tribute to his father and the fulfillment of a promise to support the department that became his academic home. Harding joined UCLA as a visiting scholar in 2011 before later serving as an adjunct professor, and over the years came to admire the department’s collaborative spirit and scientific ambition.
“I feel it is both essential and rewarding to give back,” Harding said. “I hope the installation of the chair will have a long-lasting impact on the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, the Division of Physical Sciences and UCLA as a whole.”
Harding established the Lawrence Harding Endowed Chair in Oceanography in memory of his father, Lawrence Wayne Harding, ensuring future generations of researchers will have the freedom to pursue new scientific questions.
Andrew Stewart, the inaugural holder of the chair, studies Antarctic ocean circulation, ice-ocean interactions and their influence on global climate. “The Lawrence Harding Chair will provide flexibility to pursue new directions in my research,” Stewart said. “In particular, it will allow me to explore ideas that fall outside the scope of existing grants, laying the groundwork for future requests for external funding.”
Michio and Yoko Yanai Endowed Department Chair: Jacob Bortnik
Takashi Yanai, Satoshi Yanai and JoAn Cho established the Michio and Yoko Yanai Endowed Department Chair to honor the lives and contributions of Takashi and Satoshi’s parents. Professor Emeritus Michio Yanai helped shape the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences through decades of pioneering research, mentorship and leadership, while he and his wife, Yoko, became cherished members of the UCLA community.
“Growing up, UCLA was ever-present in our family life. It was where my father taught, conducted research, and pursued a deeper understanding of the atmospheric systems that shape our planet,” Takashi Yanai said. “Looking back, I realize that although our careers took different paths, they were connected by a shared curiosity about the relationship between people and their environment.”
Their gift ensures that Michio Yanai’s legacy will continue through the faculty, students and discoveries that define the department’s future.
“I’m delighted and honored to help support this Department and Division that meant so much to my parents and our family. I look forward to hearing about the many great research accomplishments of AOS and its distinguished faculty in the years to come,” said Satoshi Yanai.
Jacob Bortnik, who holds the endowed chair, said philanthropic support has transformed both his research and student training. “The flexibility provided by philanthropic support has allowed me to pursue fundamental questions in space physics that would have been difficult to investigate through conventional funding while creating new research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.”
Richard P. and Linda S. Turco Term Chair: David Neelin
For Richard and Linda Turco, supporting the next generation of scientists has long been one of the most meaningful ways to give back to the university community that shaped their lives. Richard Turco, a renowned atmospheric chemist, served as professor and chair of UCLA Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and was the founding director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability. Together, the Turcos have focused their philanthropy on creating opportunities for outstanding students, researchers and faculty to pursue their highest aspirations.
“Those who have benefited from a lifetime of learning, teaching and discovering are obligated to provide the same opportunities to future generations,” he said. “An enduring endowment—even a small one—is a brick added to a strong foundation upon which an exceptional university can be built.”
Their gift established the department’s first endowed chair, strengthening Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences while supporting societally relevant research and teaching for generations to come.
David Neelin, the inaugural and current holder of the Richard P. and Linda S. Turco Term Chair, said endowed support gives researchers the flexibility to pursue innovative ideas while supporting students and early-career scientists.
“At a time when research funding can be unpredictable, philanthropic support like this endowed chair is especially valuable. It creates bridges for students, postdoctoral scholars and early-career researchers while allowing us to explore new ideas. Research questions that might seem too risky for a conventional proposal can demonstrate their potential through philanthropic support.”
Larry Lyons and Susan Miller Endowed Chair in Space Physics: To Be Appointed
After more than four decades at UCLA, including service as department chair and distinguished professor, Larry Lyons and his wife, Susan Miller, chose to invest in the future of the field he helped build. Their gift establishes the Larry Lyons and Susan Miller Endowed Chair in Space Physics, ensuring the department can recruit future faculty leaders in one of its signature research areas.
“Both of us have been gifted a life that allowed us to choose rewarding careers, nurture close family ties and give back to our community,” Larry and Susan said. “Education has always been at the core of our shared journey. As part of our legacy, we want to ensure future generations have access to the exceptional tradition of educating and mentoring young scientists at all academic levels while providing opportunities for world-class scientific research.”
Although the chair has not yet been filled, it will provide lasting support for future faculty whose research, teaching and mentorship will carry UCLA’s tradition of excellence in space physics into the next generation.
Each of these gifts began with a different story—a family honoring a loved one, a faculty member giving back, a lifetime devoted to teaching and discovery. Together, they strengthen a department whose next breakthroughs have yet to be imagined. The impacts that emerge from these investments may still lie over the horizon, but the foundation for them is already in place.