Dr. Shepherd began his meteorology career early. After completing his undergraduate work, he was a Meteorological Technician at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – National Weather Service (NOAA-NWS) in Tallahassee, Florida. From 1991 to 1993, Dr. Shepherd was a Consulting Meteorologist for Metropolitan Weather Solvers and a Research Assistant for the Mesoscale Meteorology Group at Florida State University while completing his master’s degree. In 1993, Dr. Shepherd was a Research Meteorologist for Science Systems and Applications, Inc.

From 1993 to 2005, Dr. Shepherd worked at the NASA Goodard Space Flight Center as a Research Meteorologist. He worked on satellite programs and research to improve understanding of hydroclimate processes. While at NASA, Dr. Shepherd spent a year as a Deputy Project Scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, a multi-national space mission that ultimately launched in 2014.

 In 2000, Dr. Shepherd co-authored a children’s book about weather and weather instruments with Dr. Fred Bortz, Dr. Fred’s Weather Watch. On May 4, 2004, President Bush awarded him the Presidential Early Career Award for pioneering scientific research in weather and climate science.

From 2005 to 2008, Dr. Shepherd was on the steering committee for the United Nations World Meteorological Organization on aerosols and precipitation.

In 2006, Dr. Shepherd began his teaching career. He joined the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Department of Geography as an Associate Professor. He received tenure in 2009 and became a full professor in 2011. Dr. Shepherd is a leading expert in weather and climate science. He is UGA’s Athletic Association Distinguished Geography and Atmospheric Sciences Professor and Director of the UGA’s Atmospheric Sciences Program of Geography. He specializes in mesoscale meteorology, precipitation and tropical weather systems, urban climate, and remote sensing applications to weather and hydroclimate.

Dr. Shepherd edited the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology from 2007 to 2012 and Geography Compass from 2007 to 2010. In 2007, Dr. Shepherd was an AR4 contributing author team member for the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). From 2011 to 2014, Dr. Shepherd served on NOAA’s Science Advisory Board member. Dr. Shepherd was president of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the nation’s largest and oldest atmospheric science society, in 2013. In 2014, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed selected Dr. Shepherd to join the city’s Hazard Preparedness Advisory Group.

Dr. Shepherd also hosts The Weather Channel’s pioneering podcast and Award-Winning show Weather Geeks and contributes to Forbes Magazine. In 2013, Dr. Shepherd co-founded the Alcova Elementary Weather Science Chat series, exposing K-5 students to world-class scientists.

Dr. Shepherd frequently shares his climate, weather, and remote sensing expertise. He regularly appears on TV, including CBS News’ Face The Nation, The Today Show, NOVA, CNN, Fox News, and The Weather Channel. His TedX Atlanta presentation on “Slaying Climate Zombies” in 2013 is one of YouTube’s most viewed climate lectures. Dr. Shepherd also advises vital leaders at the White House, NASA, Congress, the Department of Defense, and officials from foreign countries. In February 2013, he briefed the U.S. Senate on climate change and extreme weather. He wrote editorials for the Washington Post, CNN, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and numerous other outlets. He has been featured in Time Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and NPR Science Friday. He has over 90 peer-reviewed scholarly publications.

Dr. Shepherd has attracted over 3 million dollars in research support from NASA, the US Forest Service, the Department of Energy, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the National Science Foundation. He was also instrumental in UGA’s membership to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), which was necessary to establish UGA’s Atmospheric Sciences major.

In 2014, Dr. Shepherd was awarded the Association of American Geographers’ Media Achievement Award. In 2014, Dr. Shepherd partnered again with Dr. Bortz and published the second edition of Dr. Fred’s Neighborhood Weather Watch. Dr. Shepherd was honored by Ted Turner and his Captain Planet Foundation in 2014 with its Protector of the Earth Award. Erin Brockovich and former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson also received this award.

In 2015, Dr. Shepherd received the Media Achievement Award from the Association of American Geographers (AAG). Also in 2015, he received the Grads Made Good Award from Florida State University and the Sandy Beaver Award for Excellence in Teaching from UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. He was a member of the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) Panels steering committees on extreme weather attribution, climate and national security, and urban meteorology from 2015 to 2016.

From 2017 to 2020, Dr. Shepherd was Chair of the NASA Earth Sciences Advisory Committee and a member of its Earth Science Subcommittee. From 2015 to 2016, he was a Nature Conservancy Board of Trustees member for the Georgia Chapter. From 2017 to 2018, Dr. Shepherd was the Associate Head of the Department of Geography at the University of Georgia. In 2017, he received the AMS Brooks Award for Outstanding Service to the Society. In 2018, he earned the AMS Helmut Landsberg Award for pioneering urban climate work. In 2019, he received the Climate Communication Prize from the American Geophysical Union.

From 2018 to 2020, Dr. Shepherd was the Climatology Editor for the Association of American Geographer’s Encyclopedia of Geography. In 2020, Dr. Shepherd published two books. His first book, 40 Days 40 Nights: Daily Tales (and Lessons) From A Suburban Home In Coronavirus Quarantine, he co-authored with his wife. The second was The Race Awakening of 2020: A 6-Step Guide To Move Forward.

In 2020, Dr. Shepherd received the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science. In 2021, Dr. Shepherd was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2021, Dr. Shepherd’s weather and climate outreach was recognized with the American Geological Institute’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Public Understanding of the Geosciences. He also moderated the U.S. Center video at COP26. Dr. Shepherd was the 2022 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Professor of the Year.