Ariane Middel is an urban climatologist whose work has greatly advanced scientists’ understanding of the effects of urban heat islands. 

She is currently focused on developing better models and metrics to quantify urban heatscapes using tools like MaRTy, a biometeorological robot designed to measure extreme temperatures and how the body reacts to heat. MaRTy stands for mean radiant temperature. The robot was used in one of Middel’s latest studies on ASU’s Tempe campus where her team measured the best landscape designs to keep people cool.

Middel is an assistant professor in both the School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering. She is also a member of the Urban Climate Research Center and the Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research program at ASU.

She is currently serving a 4-year term (2016-2020) on the Board of the International Association of Urban Climate and is also a member of the American Meteorological Society, the International Society of Biometeorology and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.