Belay Demoz hold a doctoral degree in Atmospheric Physics from the University of Nevada and Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada. Demoz is a Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and is the current Director of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET). He is also the current Principal Investigator and Executive Director Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research II (GESTAR II). JCET and GESTAR II are cooperative centers formed between the UMBC and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) that have around 160 FTE staff, faculty, and students.

Prior to joining the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Demoz was Professor Physics at Howard University, where he was also Director of Graduate Studies for the Physics Department and a Principal Investigator at Beltsville Research Campus, where he still serves as lead of The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUANI) activity and Adjunct Professor of Atmospheric Science in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Administration (NOAA) Center for Atmospheric and Meteorology (NCAS-M) center. Before joining academia, Demoz worked as a NASA contractor, followed by time spent at NASA/GSFC in the Mesoscale Dynamics Branch. His research interests include mesoscale observation and instrumentation in atmospheric physics and climate as well as atmospheric science influence in climate policy. He has chaired professional American Meteorological Society (AMS committees, organized and chaired national and international workshops and symposiums (AMS and The 30th International Laser Radar Conference), and is a member of Earth Science Advisory Committee (ESAC), the Scientific and Technical Working Group of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, and many editorial boards.