Roger Michaelides

Roger Michaelides is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences and Environmental Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, affiliated with the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences. His research focuses on radar remote sensing, geospatial science, and Arctic permafrost dynamics, with expertise in techniques like InSAR and radar altimetry. He joined Washington University in 2022 after postdoctoral work at the Colorado School of Mines and holds a PhD in Geophysics from Stanford University (2020) and undergraduate degrees in Physics and Earth Systems from Cornell University (2015).

• Education:
• Bachelor’s in Physics and Science of Earth Systems, Cornell University, 2015
• PhD in Geophysics, Stanford University, 2020 (advisor: Howard Zebker)
• Research Interests:
• Arctic permafrost thaw and wildfire interactions
• Monitoring surface deformation via InSAR
• Multi-sensor fusion for topography analysis
• Error modeling in remote sensing instruments
• Awards:
• 2024 NASA ECIP-ES Fellowship ($300K) to study Arctic permafrost-fire dynamics

Michaelides leads the Radar Interferometry and Geospatial Science Laboratory, recruiting graduate students and postdocs. His NASA-funded project uses InSAR to track permafrost changes in a warming Arctic, aiming to quantify climate feedbacks. He has also been featured in university news for his wildfire and cryosphere research.