Senior Research Scientist, Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA GSFC

Dr. Josefino Comiso received his B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, his Master’s Degree from Florida State University, and his Ph. D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. He held a post-doctoral position at the University of Virginia and worked as a senior consultant for Computer Sciences Corporation before joining NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. At Goddard, his research led to new insights into many important processes in the polar regions including: (a) deep ocean convection and the influence of polynyas and Odden on bottom water formation; (b) phytoplankton blooms and relationships with the sea ice cover and (c) climate change signals as revealed by the changing sea ice cover and accelerated warming in the Arctic region. He was the chief scientist for many NASA aircraft missions in the Arctic and Antarctic that included a flight over a nuclear submarine near the North Pole that demonstrated the feasibility of measuring sea ice thickness from space. He has been a member of satellite sensor teams and has developed algorithms for the retrieval of sea ice concentration, surface temperature, and clouds. Dr. Comiso has been the recipient of several NASA awards including the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (2013), outstanding scientist awards by professional societies and institutions and has served as visiting scientist in many international institutes.