Forrest
I use SAR satellites to monitor the earth
About Me
I am a research software engineer with a passion for planet-scale earth monitoring. I have PhD in Geology, as well as a background in SAR remote sensing, Python scientific software development, and cloud-computing infrastructure.
I currently work at the Alaska Satellite Facility, where I help create new SAR/InSAR products, and lead SAR trainings for the scientific community.
Here are a few technologies I've been working with recently:- Python
- AWS’s serverless stack
- Cython
- Jupyter Notebooks
Experience
I am currently working as a research software engineer at the Alaska Satellite Facility. I work within a dedicated software engineering team to design new SAR/InSAR products and services. This includes:
- Leading the development of ASF’s burst InSAR processing workflows
- Developing cloud infrastructure and processing workflows for SAR imagery products
- Leading tutorials and presentation for the scientific community on SAR data usage
- Writing and participating in global-scale earth monitoring NASA grant projects
While I was a graduate student, I interned remotely with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) team. This work included:
- Used open-source InSAR tools and UAVSAR data to track fault and landslide movement across California
- Developed UAVSAR time-series processing workflows that were used as the basis for NISAR validation product creation
- Explore multi-stage InSAR unwrapping algorithms using SNAPHU
While pursuing my PhD, I worked part-time as a remote sensing data scientist at Iowa State University. This work included:
- Built a machine learning model to facilitate the prediction of U.S. crop residue cover
- Designed image processing workflows within Google Earth Engine
Education
2019 - 2022
Doctor of Philosophy in Geoscience
Massey University, New Zealand
- Used Python’s geospatial libraries and Sentinel-1 SAR data to monitor natural hazards
- Utilized machine learning models to analyze patterns in landslide occurrence
- Contributor to open-source SAR data analysis platforms (ISCE2 and MintPy)
2017 - 2019
Masters of Science in Environmental Science
Iowa State University
- Built and tested an ESRI Python toolbox for surface water detection and river monitoring
- Managed a multi-year field research project
- Presented at four conferences and won two student research presentation competitions
- Recieved a Graduate Certificate in GIS
2012 - 2016
Bachelors of Art in Geology
Carleton College
- Participated in two geology field camps in Italy and New Zealand
- Recieved an award for outstanding undergraduate research
- Co-founder of Carleton’s running club
Get in Touch
My inbox is always open. Whether you have a question or just want to say hi, I’ll try my best to get back to you!