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People of ORNL DAAC

NASA's Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC) is led by leaders in the fields of ecology and data science.

Leadership

NameTitle
Michele ThorntonDAAC Manager; Airborne & Daymet Lead
Yaxing Wei, PhDLead Scientist
Tammy WalkerDeputy DAAC Manager and User Services Lead
Laxman Nathawat Systems Engineer and Security Lead
Debjani Singh, PhDIngest Lead
Rupesh Shrestha, PhDMission Management and User Support

User Working Group

The ORNL DAAC User Working Group (UWG) provides suggestions and user perspectives that assist ESDIS with:

  • Defining ORNL DAAC's science goals.
  • Prioritizing ORNL DAAC activities, including dataset acquisition, generation of value-added products, user support, development activities, and operational functions.
  • Improving the data publication and communication processes for projects and missions assigned to ORNL DAAC.
  • Improving the discoverability, usability, and interoperability of NASA Earth science data.
  • Assessing data accession requests originating from projects and missions not specifically assigned to ORNL DAAC.

The UWG meets at least once per year to review the status of ORNL DAAC operations and to provide suggestions. Additional information about the responsibilities of the UWG can be found in the ORNL DAAC UWG Charter.

The UWG is interested in hearing from users on how to improve the ORNL DAAC web platform, tools, and services, or about data that the ORNL DAAC should pursue. To provide input, email the ORNL DAAC User Services Office.

A group photo of the ORNL DAAC user working group, standing in front of a barn structure.

Attendees, including UWG members, at the October 2024 UWG Meeting.

User Working Group Members

Cibele Amaral 
Analytics Hub Director, Earth Lab 
University of Colorado 
UWG Term 2025-2027 
Specialty: ecosystem ecology and management, remote sensing, big data analytics		Liz Arbuckle 
Capacity Building Program 
Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, NASA Ames 
UWG Term 2025-2027 
Specialty: data accessibility and usability, user-community engagement
Mallory Barnes 
School of Public and Environmental Affairs 
Indiana University 
UWG Term 2021-2026 
Specialty: environmental informatics, remote sensing and spatial analysis, and ecosystem ecology		Philip G. Brodrick 
Research Technologist 
Imaging Spectroscopy Group 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
UWG Term: 2022-2027 
Specialty: imaging spectroscopy, machine learning / artificial intelligence, terrestrial ecology
Dana Chadwick (Chair) 
Earth System Scientist 
Research Scientist 
Water and Ecosystems Group 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
UWG Term 2023-2025 
Specialty: imaging spectroscopy, lidar, field sampling, ecosystems, critical zones, landscape evolution		Kyla Dahlin 
Department of Geography 
Michigan State University 
UWG Term 2021-2026 
Specialty: landscape and plant ecology, remote sensing, Earth system modeling 
 
Erin Hestir (Chair-Elect)
Department of Environmental Systems 
University of California, Merced 
UWG Term 2023-2025 
Specialty: aquatic ecosystems, coastal systems, geospatial analytics, hyperspectral data, remote sensing, sensor networks		Ayia F. Lindquist 
Outreach and Engagement Coordinator 
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 
UWG Term: 2024-2026 
Specialty: user-community engagement, data accessibility and decision-making support, resilience
Paul Montesano 
Research Scientist 
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 
UWG Term: 2022-2027 
Specialty: remote sensing data integration, uncertainty quantification, boreal forest structure research		Stefano Potter 
Research Associate 
Woodwell Climate Research Center 
UWG Term: 2024-2026 
Specialty: wildfire, boreal and arctic systems, remote sensing
Jody Vogeler
Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory 
Colorado State University 
UWG Term 2021-2026 
Specialty: forest disturbance dynamics, wildlife habitat ecology, assessing resistance and resilience within varous ecosystems, integrating remote sensing datasets with field surveys		Jon Wang 
School of Biological Sciences 
University of Utah 
UWG Term 2023-2025 
Specialty: vulnerability to and recovery from natural and anthropogenic disturbance, carbon stocks and fluxes, phenology, urban heat island
Daryl Yang 
Distinguished Staff Fellow 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory 
UWG Term: 2024-2026 
Specialty: spectral imaging, drone data and applications, boreal and arctic systems, plant ecology, remote sensing, ecosystem modeling		 

User Working Group Ex Officio Members

Sara Lubkin 
Science Data Operations Manager 
ESDIS Project 
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center		Ryan P. Pavlick 
Program Manager 
Terrestrial Ecology Program 
NASA Headquarters
Yaxing Wei (Vice Chair) 
ORNL DAAC Lead Scientist 
Environmental Sciences Division 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory		Michele Thornton
ORNL DAAC Manager 
Environmental Sciences Division 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

User Working Group Associates

Laxman Nathawat 
ORNL DAAC Systems Engineer and Security Lead 
Environmental Sciences Division 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory		Rupesh Shrestha 
ORNL DAAC Mission Management and User Support 
Environmental Sciences Division 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Debjani Singh 
ORNL DAAC Ingest Lead 
Environmental Sciences Division 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory		Tammy Walker 
ORNL DAAC Deputy Manager 
Environmental Sciences Division 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory