Emeritus Scientist, NASA GSFC

Dr. Robert Bindschadler has been an active Antarctic field researcher for the past 25 years. He has led 14 field expeditions to Antarctica and has participated in many other expeditions to glaciers and ice caps around the world. He maintains an active interest in the dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets, primarily on Earth, investigating how remote sensing can be used to improve our understanding of the role of ice in the Earth's climate. Applications developed by Dr. Bindschadler include measuring ice velocity and elevation using both visible and radar imagery, monitoring melt of and snowfall on ice sheets by microwave emissions, and detecting changes in ice-sheet volume by repeat space-borne radar altimetry.

He has advised the US Congress and the Vice President on the stability of ice sheets and ice shelves and served on many scientific commissions and study groups as an expert in glaciology and remote sensing of ice. Some of the more significant awards he has received are: Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (2001); Goddard Senior Fellow (2000); the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1994), Excellence in Federal Career (1989); and the Antarctic Service Medal (1984). He currently is the Immediate Past President of the International Glaciological Society, chairs the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Initiative, sits on both the US and International Planning Groups for the International Polar Year and is an Editor for the Journal of Glaciology.