About ESI

The Earth and Space Institute (ESI) at UMBC works closely with the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) and the Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Research (GESTAR II), cooperative agreements between UMBC and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, on:

  • instrument development, design, prototyping, fabrication, and deployment
  • lab, field, and on-orbit instrument calibration exercises
  • science data analysis and algorithm development
  • grant proposals, publications, and outreach
  • student training in association with degree-granting institutions

The ESI is strongly affiliated with the Atmospheric Physics graduate program at UMBC. Graduate students seeking Masters and PhD degrees have contributed significantly to ESI projects at all levels. We are seeking highly motivated and curious students!

For more information about the Earth and Space Institute at UMBC, our specific projects, or collaboration and affiliation opportunities, contact the ESI Director, Dr. J. Vanderlei Martins, Professor of Physics.

Discipline Leads

Dr. J. Vanderlei Martins
Professor of Physics, ESI Director
martins@umbc.edu

Dr. Lorraine Remer
Research Professor
remer@umbc.edu

J. Dominik Cieslak
Chief Engineer (electrical, detectors, and optics.)
cieslak@umbc.edu

Dr. Roberto Fernandez Borda
Senior Research Engineer
rfborda@umbc.edu

Research and Science

Dr. Xiaoguang (Richard) Xu
Research Assistant Professor
xxu@umbc.edu

Dr. Ana Prados
Senior Research Scientist
aprados@umbc.edu

Dr. Brent McBride
Assistant Research Scientist
mcbride1@umbc.edu

Dr. Anin Puthukkudy
Postdoctoral Research Associate
aputhukkudy@umbc.edu

Software and Systems Engineering

Danny Nelson

Systems and Thermal Engineer
Faculty Research Assistant
dnelson@umbc.edu

Ian Decker
Research Mechanical Engineer
deck2@umbc.edu

Andrew Taylor
Research Mechanical Engineer
andrewt7@umbc.edu

Jet Thompson
Software Engineer
jensent1@umbc.edu

Affiliated PhD Students

Noah Sienkiewicz
Atmospheric Physics
noahs3@umbc.edu

Rachel Smith
Atmospheric Physics
rsmith12@umbc.edu

Nirandi Jayasinghe
Atmospheric Physics
nirandj1@umbc.edu

Greema Regmi
Atmospheric Physics
gregmi1@umbc.edu