Staff Biographies
Aaron Studwell, Ph.D.
President
Aaron Studwell completed his PhD in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston. His research focused on planetary atmospheres, specifically, Saturn’s global-scale dynamics and long-term patterns.
Upon completing his doctoral work, Dr. Studwell founded ExoConsulting in Norman, Oklahoma. He has over twenty years of experience in energy weather, forensic meteorology, and marine forecasting. Aaron was one of the first meteorologists in the energy trading sector working in senior research and forecasting roles. Dr. Studwell was also an early innovator in weather risk management, establishing weather trading desks within two commodity trading companies. His career continued into scientific leadership and research roles in energy meteorology, across both the upstream and downstream sides of the sector. Before returning to academia full-time in 2019, he was the Marine Team Lead for DTN-Wilkens Weather, where he oversaw the company’s marine forecasting operations in their Houston, Texas office.
Aaron graduated from Texas A&M University with a Master of Science in Meteorology and from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He holds active memberships in the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society.
Elizabeth Ohlemacher
Staff Meteorologist
Elizabeth joined RaceWeather in June 2022. She recently completed on her Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Texas A&M University. For as long as she can remember, she has always wanted to be a meteorologist.
She enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, and painting. She is excited to join our team and learn more about atmospheric sciences and their impact on motorsports and commodity trading.
Mark Walquist
Forensic Meteorology - Subject Matter Expert
Mark graduated with of Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in 1979. He was employed by Wilkens Weather Technologies and its successor companies as a Marine Meteorologist for 38 years.
Duties were primarily focused upon providing daily forecasts of winds and seas to the offshore energy sector and providing consultation to a variety of onshore companies. As he progressed in his career, he discovered a passion for researching and preparing climatological and forensic studies. He has prepared over one thousand of these studies over the course of his career and also trained colleagues within the organization in the methodology of producing these studies.
He has provided expert testimony in several cases over the years. One of the many highlights of his career was related to forensic studies he prepared related to extreme weather events for a project in the northern Adriatic Sea. These studies led to a 3-week onsite weather forecast consultation during a critical phase of the project as well as a long-term contract.
Mark is a member of the American Meteorological Society. In his spare time, Mark enjoys hiking, fishing and gardening.