معرفی
R. Steven Nerem is Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and Director of the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR). He is also a Senior Research Scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). Since 1996 he has led a research group that uses satellite geodetic techniques to study global and regional sea-level change, Earth’s time-variable gravity field, and the impacts of climate change on ice and water distribution.
Education
- Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1989
- M.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1985
- B.S., Geology, Colorado State University, 1982
Research Focus
Nerem’s research integrates satellite altimetry and satellite gravimetry to quantify sea-level rise and its acceleration. He has been a key scientist on the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, Jason-3, GRACE and GRACE-FO missions. Current efforts include detecting acceleration in the 25-year altimeter record, attributing observed changes to ice-mass loss in Greenland and Antarctica, and projecting future sea-level rise under continued climate warming.
Additional interests encompass precision orbit determination, planetary geodesy and the design of next-generation geodetic missions to further constrain Earth-system processes.
Scientific Recognition
- Fellow and Bowie Lecturer of the American Geophysical Union
- Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- American Astronautical Society Earth Science and Applications Award (2014)
- NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1995)
- Numerous NASA group and individual performance awards
Leadership & Funding
Nerem currently directs CCAR, a leading research center for astrodynamics and Earth observations. His group’s work is funded through NASA’s Sea Level Change Team (N-SLCT). He previously served as Associate Director of CCAR (2002-2023) and held faculty positions at the University of Texas at Austin (1996-2000).
Laboratory & Collaborative Environment
CCAR and CIRES provide a multidisciplinary environment that brings together graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and faculty from aerospace engineering, Earth sciences and applied mathematics to tackle large-scale environmental questions using space-based observations.
