Joshua Richards is a Ph.D. Candidate in Atmospheric Physics at UMBC whose research focuses on tropospheric ozone, ozonesonde data homogenization, and boundary layer processes. Working with Dr. Belay Demoz and Dr. Ryan Stauffer (NASA), he leads the homogenization of a 20-year ozone sounding record and conducts cross-platform comparisons with satellite products such as Aura OMI to support long-term trend analysis. His experience spans atmospheric instrumentation—including ozonesondes, radiosondes, VOC sampling, and Microtop measurements—as well as field deployments such as SCOAPE-II and station operations at UMBC. As a 2025 NOAA NERTO intern at the Global Monitoring Laboratory, Joshua investigated ENSO-driven variability in surface ozone exceedances and analyzed wildfire smoke impacts using multi-platform datasets and trajectory modeling. His work, grounded in advanced Python-based data analysis and remote sensing interpretation, has been presented at major conferences including AMS, AGU, and the Quadrennial Ozone Symposium.