Waleed Abdalati

Biography

Waleed Abdalati is Director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU-Boulder). Research at CIRES, which is an institute of CU-Boulder that has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for more than 55 years, focuses on understanding the physical, chemical, biological, and social aspects of the Earth’s environment at time scales that range from minutes to millennia, and spatial scales that range from the microscopic to global. Dr. Abdalati is also a Professor in CU-Boulder’s Geography Department. His own research focuses on the use of satellites and aircraft to understand how Earth's glaciers, ice sheets, and sea ice are changing and the implications of those changes for the Earth System. Dr. Abdalati spent 14 years working for NASA in various research and leadership capacities, most recently as NASA Chief Scientist. In this role, he advised the NASA Administrator on matters related to NASA’s science programs and strategic planning and served as the key NASA science interface to the White House, Congress, and other federal agencies.  He has served on various National Academy of Sciences committees, most recently chairing the Earth Science and Applications from Space Decadal Survey.

Education

Ph.D., Dept. of Geography/Program in Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences, University of Colorado, 1996 
M.S., Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, 1991
B.S., Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (cum laude), Syracuse University, 1986