Dr. Jen-Ping Peng is a physical oceanographer, currently serving as a Research Associate at the Ocean Graduate School, University of Western Australia. He earned his PhD with magna cum laude (great distinction) in November 2020 from the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, affiliated with the University of Rostock, Germany—one of the world’s leading institutes in physical oceanography.

Dr. Peng’s research primarily focuses on oceanic dynamics and turbulence in surface-layer fronts. With an h10-index of 5 and 88 citations (according to Google Scholar), his work has significantly impacted the field. Notably, he has published two first-author papers in the prestigious Journal of Physical Oceanography in consecutive years, widely considered as the highest-ranking journal in his discipline, which have been collectively cited 30 times. His collaborative research efforts include co-authorship in high-impact papers such as a comprehensive review on Southern Ocean dynamics published in Reviews of Geophysics (impact factor: 22).

Dr. Peng’s expertise and insights have led to invitations to speak at numerous significant conferences, including the Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics Colloquium in 2022 (online, Germany), the Eddy-Wave Meeting in 2023 (Hamburg, Germany), and the 21st Pacific-Asian Marginal Seas Meeting in 2024 (Zhuhai, China).

Currently, Dr. Peng is a key contributor to the Australian Research Council Discovery Project: Quantifying Vertical and Lateral Ocean Transport due to Front and Eddies (https://www.swot-adac.org/campaigns/north-west-shelf/), working within Prof. Nicole Jones' research group. His work within this project includes:

1. SWOT Satellite and Field Campaign: Leading a large-scale field campaign across the Indian Ocean Basin to validate and utilize SWOT satellite data, focusing on quantifying oceanic processes at fine spatial scales.
2. Nonlinear Internal Waves: Investigating the impact of nonlinear internal waves on sea level variability over the shelf ocean using SWOT data combined with moored observations.
3. Diurnal Cycle of Submesoscale Dynamics: Exploring submesoscale dynamics and turbulent mixing under conditions of intense solar heating and weak winds, is critical for understanding the global energy cycle.

These findings are presented in two manuscripts currently under revision (Journal of Geophysical Research) and preparation (targeting Geophysical Research Letters). The first explores the interaction between diurnal warm layers and surface-layer fronts based on field observations and numerical turbulence modeling, while the second investigates nonlinear internal waves using cutting-edge SWOT satellite data, integrated with field measurements.

In addition to his research, Dr. Peng is advancing the field through his leadership in securing external funding. As the principal investigator, he has successfully obtained approximately $40,000 in grants, which have facilitated crucial international collaborations with leading oceanographic institutions. These projects include:

• UWA Research Collaboration Award: "Do small-scale processes have large impacts on the carbon and heat sink?" - $29,970 (Jan. 2023 – Mar. 2024, completed). Collaboration with the University of Southampton and the National Oceanography Centre, UK.

• UA-DAAD Joint Research Program: "Model study on turbulent processes in the oceanic surface layer" - $10,000 (Jan. 2023 – Feb. 2024, completed). Collaboration with the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Germany.

Dr. Peng’s academic contributions extend beyond his research. His role as a guest editor for Remote Sensing (impact factor: 5.3) and as a frequent reviewer for the Journal of Geophysical Research and Geophysical Research Letters underscores his commitment to maintaining high standards in scientific publishing. His dedication has been recognized by the American Geophysical Union with the prestigious "Excellence in Refereeing Award."