Robert Michael Hardesty

Robert Michael Hardesty is a CIRES Senior Research Scientist and Director of CIRES Environmental Observations at the University of Colorado Boulder. He holds a Ph.D. from the Naval Postgraduate School (1984) and specializes in atmospheric remote sensing using lidar technology.

Dr. Hardesty's research interests center around development, evaluation, and application of optical remote sensing techniques to investigate atmospheric processes. Lidar techniques are used to investigate a broad range of phenomena, including boundary layer dynamics, winds and turbulence, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. His work involves deploying lidars on various platforms including surface vehicles, ships, aircraft, and satellites. His research improves understanding, modeling, and forecasting of weather and climate processes, identifies sources of air pollution, and enhances renewable energy production.

Currently, Dr. Hardesty is focused on developing and deploying a Doppler lidar in space to measure wind profiles globally. He's working with Ball Aerospace and a CIRES postdoc on the Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL) based on a Mach-Zender interferometer. He's also collaborating with ESA on their Aeolus space-based lidar winds mission, which completed a successful 4-year mission. Both NOAA and ESA are examining Doppler lidar techniques for future space-based wind measurements in the 2030 time frame.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on advancing wind profiling technology, particularly through lidar applications. The research spans satellite mission concepts, instrument development and validation, urban meteorology, and greenhouse gas monitoring. Key themes include the integration of passive and active remote sensing techniques, improvements to numerical weather prediction models, and applications to renewable energy and urban air quality.

• Fellow of the Optical Society of America (1987)
• Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (1990)
• NOAA Distinguished Career Award (2014)
• Lifetime Achievement Award, International Radiation Commission/International Coordinating Group on Laser Atmospheric Studies (2017)

Dr. Hardesty has been involved in numerous collaborative research projects, particularly those focused on atmospheric observation systems and their applications to weather forecasting and climate research. His work with NASA, NOAA, and ESA demonstrates significant grant funding and international collaboration. While specific student advising information isn't provided in the text, his role as a senior research scientist suggests he likely mentors postdoctoral researchers and graduate students.

He is associated with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), which connects graduate students and postdocs from various academic units for research collaboration. His work on the Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar and collaboration with ESA on the Aeolus mission represent significant contributions to atmospheric observation technology.