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Committee Member Biographical Information

NATHANIEL J. LIVESEY (Chair) is an atmospheric scientist and the principal investigator for the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on the Earth Observing System Aura spacecraft at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Livesey’s research interests are centered on space-based microwave observations of the chemistry, hydrology, and dynamics of Earth’s atmosphere. Most of Livesey’s work has focused on the MLS experiments both on Aura and the earlier Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite launched in 1991. Before becoming Aura MLS principal investigator (PI), Livesey was responsible for the MLS “retrieval” algorithms. These convert the raw observations of the microwave signature of the atmosphere into measurements of atmospheric composition, temperature, humidity, and cloud ice. Livesey earned a DPhil in physics from Oxford University, England.

SCOTT N. PAINE (Vice Chair) is a senior physicist in the Radio and Geoastronomy division of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. Paine has been affiliated with the Submillimeter Array radio interferometer on Maunakea, Hawaii, since its original development and construction. In addition, Paine is a member of the collaboration and project teams for CMB-S4, the next-generation, ground-based cosmic microwave background experiment. Paine’s research interests include advancing instrumentation and techniques for radio

astronomy and measuring, understanding, and statistically characterizing radiative properties of Earth’s atmosphere having broad importance for optimizing astronomical observations, remote sensing, and modeling of Earth’s climate system. Paine earned a PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

NANCY L. BAKER retired from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) as a meteorologist with the Marine Meteorology Division. Baker began her career as a civilian with the U.S. Navy in 1985 and has extensive experience with atmospheric data assimilation, observation quality control, satellite assimilation, and observation impact studies. Baker had a leading role in the development 3D-Var, 4D-Var, hybrid ensemble-variational 4D-Var, and the Forecast Sensitivity Observation Impact metric to the U.S. Navy for operational implementation. Baker served as an associate director to the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation for the Navy. Past National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine service includes co-chairing the Weather and Air Quality: Minutes to Subseasonal panel for the 2018 Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space and previous member for the Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space. Baker was a recipient of an NRL Edison Memorial Graduate Training Fellowship award (1998) and earned a PhD in meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School (2000).

LAURA B. CHOMIUK is a professor of physics and astronomy at Michigan State University (MSU). Previously, Chomiuk was a Jansky Fellow of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Chomiuk has far-ranging interests in transient and energetic phenomena, including novae, supernovae, and X-ray binaries, and pursues these phenomena with multi-wavelength observations spanning radio to gamma-ray wavelengths. Chomiuk is a recipient of a Cottrell Scholarship and a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, along with an MSU Teacher-Scholar Award. Chomiuk earned a PhD in astronomy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

KSHITIJA DESHPANDE is an associate professor of engineering physics in the Physical Sciences Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). Deshpande was a postdoctoral fellow 2014–2016 at Virginia Tech before joining ERAU. Deshpande’s research interests include remote sensing, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), space weather effects, inverse problems,

machine learning (ML), mathematical modeling and simulations, and magnetosphere–ionosphere interactions. Deshpande is an International Union of Radio Science individual member. Deshpande is a recipient of NSF’s prestigious CAREER award to explore ML application in space weather studies using GNSS. Deshpande’s educational training is in electromagnetics, radio astronomy, and space physics. Deshpande earned a PhD in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech.

DARA ENTEKHABI is the Bacardi and Stockholm Water Foundations Professor at MIT in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with joint appoint in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. Entekhabi’s research interests are coupled surface, subsurface, and atmospheric hydrologic systems and terrestrial remote sensing. Entekhabi’s National Academies’ service includes the Committee on Hydrologic Science, Water Science and Technology Board, Committee to Assess the National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service Initiative program, and Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Community Assessment and Strategy for the Future. Entekhabi is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Entekhabi earned a PhD in civil engineering from MIT.

PHILIP J. ERICKSON is the director of Haystack Observatory, a multi-disciplinary radio and radar remote sensing observatory, which is a subsidiary of MIT. Haystack is engaged in radio astronomy, geodesy, very long baseline interferometry, atmospheric science studies, and radio-based remote sensing from spaceborne platforms. Erickson’s expertise is in basic and applied space weather; atmospheric and ionospheric physics; radar and radio signal processing for Earth remote sensing using very low frequencies and higher; high-power large-aperture Thomson scatter ionospheric radar techniques; nonlinear radiation belt particle acceleration; and radio science, including scattering from plasma irregularities at VHF frequencies and above. Erickson has served in editorial roles for multiple AGU and Frontiers in Space Physics and Aeronomy journal special issues and monographs. Erickson served as a co-chair of the Panel on the Physics of Ionospheres, Thermospheres, and Mesospheres for the National Academies’ 2024–2033 Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics). Erickson earned a PhD in space plasma physics from Cornell University.

TOMAS E. GERGELY served as the program manager for Electromagnetic Spectrum Management at NSF until retirement in 2012. Gergely was responsible for ensuring access of the U.S. scientific community to the radio spectrum, and in particular for the protection of radio astronomy observatories. After retirement, Gergely was retained by NSF as a part-time expert on radio spectrum issues until the end of December 2014. While at NSF, Gergely served on U.S. delegations to eight World Radiocommunication Conferences (WARC-87, WARC-92, WRC-95, WRC-97, WRC-00, WRC-03, WRC-07, and WRC-12) and during 2000–2012 chaired the U.S. Working Party 7D, the group dealing with radio astronomy within the International Telecommunication Union. Gergely received NSF’s Meritorious Service Award in 2000 for his work on the reallocation of the radio services in the 71–275 GHz range at WRC-00. Gergely earned a PhD in astronomy from the University of Maryland.

KELSEY E. JOHNSON is a professor at the University of Virginia (UVA) and former president of the American Astronomical Society. Johnson’s research primarily utilizes long wavelengths (infrared to radio) to study star formation in extragalactic environments. Johnson has received numerous honors for teaching, research, and service, including the All University Teaching Award and the Z-Society Distinguished Professor award. Johnson was elected to the UVA Academy of Teaching, was named as one of four “ACC Distinguished Professors” in the Atlantic Coast Conference of universities, and received an inaugural “Public Service” award from UVA for work promoting science literacy through the Dark Skies Bright Kids program. Johnson earned a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Colorado.

CHRISTOPHER KIDD is a research scientist with the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center at the University of Maryland and at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Kidd’s research interests focus on the global measurement of precipitation, primarily from multi-satellite, multi-sensor passive microwave observations. Kidd’s work has encompassed a number of key international missions, including the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. Kidd has worked on a number of mission proposals, including the European Space Agency’s European Contribution to the GPM, and he is involved in the development of new missions. Kidd also co-leads the Precipitation Virtual Constellation of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. Kidd earned a PhD in geography from the University of Bristol.

KAREN L. MASTERS is a professor in astronomy and physics at Haverford College. Masters seeks to use large surveys (both in optical and radio wavelengths) to understand how galaxies in our universe form and evolve. Masters is a frequent 1.4 GHz/21 cm line observer at the Green Bank Observatory and has also been awarded time at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. Masters is the PI (previously project scientist) for the Galaxy Zoo project, a citizen science activity that crowdsources the morphology of galaxies. Masters was previously the spokesperson for the fourth-phase of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Masters was a co-chair of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Education Committee, has been on the AAS Nominating Committee, and served on the Royal Astronomical Society’s Patrick Moore and Annie Maunder Medals panel. Previously, Masters was on the faculty and a postdoc at Portsmouth University in the United Kingdom and at the Center for Astrophysics/Haverford College Observatory. Masters earned a PhD in astronomy from Cornell University.

MAHTA MOGHADDAM is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the director of New Research Initiatives at the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering. Moghaddam’s research interests are in variety of topics related to applied electromagnetics, including the development of advanced radar systems for environmental sensing and subsurface characterization, software-defined radar, mixed-mode high-resolution medical imaging techniques, and autonomous sensor webs for remote sensing data collection and validation. Each of these areas requires the development of state-of-the-art sensors as well as novel signal processing and physical models to characterize the sensors and their interaction with their intended environments. Moghaddam has led numerous multi-disciplinary projects in these areas and has been a member of the science teams of several NASA missions. Moghaddam was the 2020 president of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society and the co-director of the USC Center for Sustainability Solutions. Moghaddam earned a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a fellow of IEEE, and a member of the NAE.

JULIO A. NAVARRO is a principal senior technical fellow at The Boeing Company and a subject-matter expert in radio frequency (RF) circuits, antennas, and heterogeneously integrated electronics. Navarro provides technical leadership of RF and millimeter-

wave technologies for The Boeing Company. Navarro initiated, designed, and delivered many wide-angle, beam-scanning phased-array antenna (PAA) designs for unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft, ships, submarines, satellites, and missiles. Before his current position, Navarro was a key innovator in the design, development, and transition of Ku- and Ka-band compact radar sensors, as well as the Ku-band directional network line-of-sight communication PAAs. For the past two decades, Navarro’s integrated ceramic module design has also supported aircraft as part of the government VIP Strategic Air Mission fleet, which supports the air transportation of the President and other Washington, DC, dignitaries. Navarro is a member of the NAE and has been an IEEE MTT-S and AP-S member since 1990 and served on the annual MTT Technical Program Review Committee since 1997. Navarro was also the MTT-S Adcom secretary in 2017 and an elected Adcom member in 2018. Navarro earned a PhD in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station.

BANG D. NHAN is an assistant scientist in the Electromagnetic Spectrum Management Division at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and was a Jansky Postdoctoral Fellow at NRAO’s Central Development Laboratory (CDL). Nhan is currently assisting NRAO and the Green Bank Observatory on coordinating tests and observational data sharing with satellite Internet service providers to develop a spectrum coexisting framework between the radio observatories and the satellite constellations. Nhan’s research interests include developing instrumentation, signal processing, and measurement techniques for different radio astronomy and engineering applications, which may require high dynamic range and low signal-to-noise ratio sensitivity. Nhan is experienced in utilizing computational electromagnetic simulation software in conjunction with laboratory measurement (in anechoic chamber and antenna range) to evaluate the electromagnetic (EM) performance of antenna and RF/microwave systems, along with their EM compatibility. Nhan has led the effort in developing two broadband antenna prototypes for the NSF-funded Advanced Spectrum Monitor system at CDL, designed to operate between 1–60 GHz for spectrum monitoring and direction finding for RF interference. Nhan earned a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Colorado Boulder.