Srinivas V. Bettadpur

Srinivas V. Bettadpur is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering. He holds the FSX Professorship in Space Applications and Exploration, a courtesy appointment in the Department of Geological Sciences at the Jackson School of Geosciences, and is an affiliate of the UT Applied Research Laboratory. As Director of the Center for Space Research (2018-2023), he has led significant research in space geodesy and Earth system science.

Dr. Bettadpur's research focuses on orbital mechanics, space geodesy, and Earth's gravity field. His work spans perturbations and orbit determination, modeling and interpretation of gravity fields, space mission design, and data analytics. He leads cutting-edge projects including the Quantum Pathways Institute for quantum sensing in space, the GRACE-Continuity Mission, and the development of the McDonald Geodetic Observatory. His research explores global mass flux estimation, terrestrial and lunar geodesy integration, and next-generation gravity field sensing technologies.

His scientific achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards including the American Geophysical Union Charles A. Whitten Medal (2024), NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal (2018), and European Geosciences Union Vening-Meinesz Medal (2016). He serves as President of Commission-2 (Gravity Field) of the International Association of Geodesy (2023-2027) and has held leadership roles in numerous NASA/ESA mission teams.

As an educator, Dr. Bettadpur mentors numerous PhD and MS students working on advanced topics in satellite geodesy, orbital mechanics, and Earth system science. He teaches courses including ASE 379L (LEO for EO), ASE 389P.2 (Satellite Geodesy), and occasionally ASE 389P.11 (Advanced Satellite Geodesy) and ASE 388P.2 (Celestial Mechanics). His research group develops innovative approaches to gravity field measurement and Earth system monitoring, with applications to climate science, water resource management, and precision navigation.