David Shean

David Shean is an Associate Professor in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, with adjunct roles in Aeronautics & Astronautics and Earth and Space Sciences. His research focuses on remote sensing and geomatics to study Earth's cryosphere, including glaciers, snow, and ice sheets. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington (2016) and advanced degrees from Brown University. Notable projects include SlideRule (cloud-based ICESat-2 processing) and NASA's High-Mountain Asia Team (HiMAT). He teaches courses like Geospatial Data Analysis with Python and Advanced Surveying. His work leverages modern data science, satellite imagery, and UAVs for high-resolution topographic analysis.

Education:

• Ph.D., Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, 2016
• Sc.M., Geology, Brown University, 2006
• Sc.B., Geology-Physics/Mathematics, Brown University, 2004

Research Interests: Remote sensing, glaciology, planetary science, and hydrology. His work emphasizes automated data pipelines, cloud computing, and satellite stereo DEMs. Recent projects address ice shelf dynamics, snow depth mapping, and natural hazards like debris flows. His group develops open-source tools for processing NASA missions like ICESat-2 and commercial smallsat data.

Labs & Teams:

• UW Terrain Analysis and Cryosphere Observation Lab
• Autonomous Flight Systems Lab
• eScience Institute

Advising & Grants: Mentors PhD students in cryospheric science and geospatial analysis. Leads NASA-funded projects on STV mission technology, smallsat data analytics, and glacier mass balance. Collaborates with agencies like Malin Space Science Systems and Boston University.