Satellite View

Our team

We have experts from leading institutions worldwide working together to ensure the mission's success

photo of DR. STEVEN HAMBURG

DR. STEVEN HAMBURG
MethaneSAT, LLC Executive Manager / MethaneSAT Project Lead Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund

Steve is the project lead of MethaneSAT and, in a separate capacity, Chief Scientist at Environmental Defense Fund, where he initiated and oversaw an unprecedented initiative involving over 150 scientists from more than 40 institutions measuring methane leakage across the U.S. natural gas supply chain. Steven serves as Chief Scientific Officer for the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global methane studies, a join effort of UNEP, EDF, DG Energy (European Commission) and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative companies. He was previously on the faculty of Brown University for 16 years. He has published more than 100 scientific papers and served as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

photo of ED IRVIN

ED IRVIN
MethaneSAT Project Director

Ed served over three decades at Lockheed Martin, including significant management roles on multiple remote sensing satellite system programs. Since 2016, he has operated as a consultant to a number of commercial startup companies. Ed is now providing satellite program management services for the MethaneSAT program. He has extensive systems engineering and management experience in earth observation and telecommunication satellite system developments and operations.

photo of BOBBY FERRARO

BOBBY FERRARO
Mission Operations Director

Bobby has over 25 years’ experience in the space industry in various leadership/operations roles, participating in the launch, commissioning, and operation of over 80 spacecraft. During his Air Force career, he served as a member of the organization that completed full operational capability of the Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation. In the commercial sector, he has worked in mission operations and develop for the Iridium constellation, GeoEye high resolution imaging satellites, and imaging systems on-board the International Space Station.

photo of DR. JOSHUA BENMERGUI

DR. JOSHUA BENMERGUI
Senior Science Engineer

Joshua is a Senior Science Engineer for EDF, where he is working on the emissions detection and quantification systems focusing on atmospheric inversion of MethaneSAT and MethaneAIR observations to produce quantitative area-resolved methane fluxes. He also developed science and target planning software for MethaneSAT. He holds a BSc and MSc from the University of Waterloo in Canada and a PhD from Harvard University.

photo of JON COIFMAN

JON COIFMAN
Senior Communications Director

Jon oversees communications and media relations for MethaneSAT LLC, and, in a separate capacity, is Senior Director of Communications at Environmental Defense Fund. He has worked in environmental and energy communications with a wide range of non-profit and private sector clients and partners for more than 20 years.

photo of DAVID CRISP

DAVID CRISP
Consultant

Dave is an atmospheric physicist and founder of Crisp Spectra, LLC an environmental science consultancy. Previously his career at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory focused on development of instruments and numerical models for analyzing light reflected, emitted, and scattered by atmospheres and surfaces of the Earth and other planets. He served as a flight instrument provider and science team member on several Earth, planetary and astrophysics missions. He was the Principal Investigator of the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) mission and served as the science team leader for NASA’s OCO-2 and OCO-3 missions. He also served as the greenhouse gas lead for the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Atmospheric Composition - Virtual Constellation (AC-VC) and member of the CEOS/CGMS Working Group on Climate Greenhouse Gas Task Team.

photo of PATRICIA DAVIS

PATRICIA DAVIS
Consultant

Patricia spent her 35-year career at Lockheed Martin gaining broad and deep knowledge through a series of technical and leadership roles, influencing the designs of LM’s most innovative and successful space missions. She has worked in all phases of complex missions including SXI, GOES-R, DMSP and SBIRS. Previously, she worked at Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratories. She is an expert in Gerontology of Material Science as well as payload and satellite systems engineering.

photo of LISA FULLERTON

LISA FULLERTON
Senior Manager

Lisa helps oversee the daily management and operations of MethaneSAT. She has fifteen years of experience managing a wide variety of projects in the science and technology space. Before joining MethaneSAT, Lisa worked with the National Science Foundation and National Science Board, and most recently, Environmental Defense Fund.

photo of DR. RITESH GAUTAM

DR. RITESH GAUTAM
Lead Senior Scientist

Ritesh oversees the MethaneSAT science team at EDF. He leads satellite remote sensing efforts focusing on the global oil and gas sector using MethaneAIR and MethaneSAT observations. Previously, Ritesh was a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in the Climate and Radiation Laboratory with Universities Space Research Association and a tenured faculty member at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay). His experience is in satellite remote sensing of methane emissions, aerosols, clouds, snow and the climate effects of air pollution. Ritesh also serves as Co-Lead for the Atmospheric Composition and Asian Monsoon (ACAM) program. He has nearly seventy scientific articles published in peer-reviewed literature.

photo of ANTHONY HIMMELBERGER

ANTHONY HIMMELBERGER
Geospatial Analyst

Anthony is focused on characterization of methane emissions from the global oil and gas sector. His work also includes developing the target areas for both MethaneSAT and MethaneAIR in support of mapping and quantifying emissions globally. Prior to MethaneSAT, Anthony worked as a GIS professional and obtained his Masters in GIS and Bachelors in Earth System Science from Clark University.

photo of MADS O’BRIEN

MADS O’BRIEN
Senior Geospatial Analyst

Mads (Madeleine) O'Brien works on global oil and gas infrastructure database development in support of interpretation and analysis of MethaneSAT emissions data products. She has a Master of Environmental Science degree from the Yale School of the Environment, and a BA from Wesleyan University.

photo of DR. MARK OMARA

DR. MARK OMARA
Senior Scientist, Global Methane

Mark is a Global Methane scientist for EDF, working on the MethaneSAT project. His work focuses on global oil and gas methane emission source attribution. His research background is in oil and gas methane emissions measurement and assessment. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University and previously worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at Carnegie Mellon University.

photo of BRAD PETERSON

BRAD PETERSON
Consultant

Brad is a 35-year veteran in the civil and commercial space sector. He led the system commissioning and production operations for the Space Imaging IKONOS system. He was VP of Operations for both GeoEye and Digital Globe, leading satellite operations, production operations, and software development activities. In his early career he was a circuit designer for earth observing systems, planetary probes, and weather satellites. Brad joins the program to spearhead the operationalization of the MethaneSAT system.

photo of PETER VEDDER

PETER VEDDER
Senior Director, Mission Systems

Peter leads the ground system development and mission operations for MethaneSAT. He has worked in industry, academia and at NASA, bringing over 30 years of senior leadership experience in space systems and flight operations for a range of space science missions. Most recently, he oversaw development of deep space navigation for the UAE’s Hope Mars mission and systems engineering for a university-led astrophysics cubesat project.

photo of DR. CHRIS CHAN MILLER

DR. CHRIS CHAN MILLER
Senior Scientist

Chris is an atmospheric physicist specializing in applications involving radiative transfer in planetary atmospheres. He leads the development for Level-2 scientific algorithms for retrieving atmospheric methane concentrations. Previously, he worked on Earth-observing satellites as part of the TEMPO and OMI science teams and was a Co-investigator of the NASA MEaSUREs. Chris was a physicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and obtained his PhD from Harvard University in Earth and Planetary Science.

photo of DR. SÉBASTIEN ROCHE

DR. SÉBASTIEN ROCHE
Scientist

Sébastien works on the scientific algorithms used to derive the MethaneSAT Level 2 products. During his PhD at the University of Toronto, Sébastien experimented with a new algorithm of the Total Carbon Column Observing Network to retrieve vertical profile information of carbon dioxide concentration. He also worked on processing solar spectra from the Eureka (Nunavut, Canada) TCCON site. In a different project, he made use of NASA's ReFRACtor algorithm.

photo of KATHLEEN CASEY

KATHLEEN CASEY
Data Processing Operations Manager

Kathleen has 13 years working with satellite, IFSAR, and LiDAR data. She has six years in the utilities industry in incident management, focused on network and computer operations. She has worked with the U.S. Geological Survey on the effects of urbanization on landscape, and with a startup company bringing Geiger-Mode LiDAR to the commercial market.

photo of COREY DURIO

COREY DURIO
Data Processing Operator

Corey works with our scientists and engineers to execute the day-to-day science data processing operations. She has extensive IT experience with a background across multiple industries including food distribution and logistics, automotive manufacturing, and banking. Before joining MethaneSAT, Corey worked with JP Morgan Chase Bank.

photo of NAT IRONS

NAT IRONS
Senior Site Reliability Engineer

Nat is the first Site Reliability Engineer on the Mission Operations team, supporting the tools used by satellite operators for command and control. He has a background in software test management, and comes to MethaneSAT from healthcare, where he was developing telehealth software infrastructure for a large hospital network when a pandemic started.

photo of Will Furstenau

Will Furstenau
Senior Cloud Engineer

Will Furstenau plays a key role in designing and optimizing scalable and resilient cloud infrastructure to help ensure the success of the company’s mission. He joins us from Goldman Sachs, at which he helped manage systems that provided automated retirement advice for thousands of clients daily.

photo of Millie Chu Baird

Millie Chu Baird
Vice President, Science Capacity and Innovation, EDF

Millie leads innovative projects that produce actionable data to help solve environmental problems. She currently leads Mission Impact for EDF’s MethaneSAT. Its ability to find and measure methane emissions with unequaled accuracy will provide the data required to motivate and reduce methane emission globally.

photo of Fiona Liao

Fiona Liao
Director, Global Methane Impact Strategy

A graduate of Harvard Business School, Fiona spearheads strategy and operations for MethaneSAT Mission Impact, applying business, management, and entrepreneurial skills to bring the satellite's data to action and maximize the mission's impact on reducing methane emissions and stabilizing the climate. Fiona manages across MethaneSAT’s engineering, science, marketing & communications, and advocacy teams so that we can deliver emissions data to the public rapidly and effectively. Prior to EDF, she spent many years in international development nonprofit GiveDirectly, playing a pivotal role in the organization’s rapid growth and launching field operations in West Africa. Fiona started off her career as a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting.

photo of Kelsey Robinson

Kelsey Robinson
Senior Communications Manager

Kelsey has over a decade of experience communicating about climate change and methane research. She brings expertise in visual storytelling, information design and data visualization to the MethaneSAT team.

photo of ERIN MEADOWS

ERIN MEADOWS
Data Processing Operator

Erin has over seven years of experience in the geospatial and energy industry with a strong background in LiDAR. She has a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science, Biology, and Environmental Science from the University of Tampa with a publication in Acta Spartae, University of Tampa's first peer-reviewed journal. She has been a Task Lead for several government projects, an operator for the US Geological Survey Topo-bathymetric LiDAR collection in the Everglades National Park in 2017, as well as a sensor operator working with a prototype Riegl LiDAR sensor. She also has a strong background in disaster response data collection and analysis, and was a FEMA contractor for three years.

photo of Eric Moberley

Eric Moberley
Data Processing Operator

Eric has performed various roles in the satellite imagery industry working on both private sector and government projects, including producing 3D digital stereo airfield products and managing imagery product orders. Prior to working in remote sensing, Eric was an officer in the United States Army.

photo of Dr. Katlyn Mackay

Dr. Katlyn Mackay
Scientist

Katlyn’s work focuses on characterizing the magnitudes and sources of methane emissions in major oil and gas producing basins globally. She is also involved in analysis of MethaneAIR data. Katlyn has nearly a decade of experience measuring methane emissions across the oil and gas sector. She holds a PhD in Oil & Gas Engineering from Memorial University and a Master’s degree in Earth Science from St. Francis Xavier University.

photo of Dr. Luis Guanter

Dr. Luis Guanter
Lead Senior Scientist

In addition to his role on MethaneSAT, Luis supports the development of UNEP-IMEO's Methane Alert and Response System. His current research focuses on detection and quantification of methane point source emissions for MethaneSAT/MethaneAIR and other satellite missions. Luis is also a faculty member at the Universität Politècnica de València in Spain, leading the Land and Atmosphere Remote Sensing research group. Previously, he was head of the Remote Sensing Section of the GFZ Potsdam in Germany and Principal Investigator of the satellite imaging spectroscopy mission in 2014.

photo of Dr. James Williams

Dr. James Williams
Postdoctoral Science Fellow

James Williams joined the MethaneSAT science team in June 2023. His work focuses on characterizing diffuse area methane emissions and developing emission distribution curves from the oil and gas sector. His previous research involved direct measurements and inventory development of methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells, gas distribution infrastructure, landfills, sewers, and urban water bodies. He earned his PhD at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

photo of Dr. Maya Nasr

Dr. Maya Nasr
Scientist

Maya is focused on mission planning for in-orbit calibrations and development of machine learning models for MethaneSAT, with expertise in spacecraft/instrument operations, engineering systems, technology strategy, and space law and policy. She is the project lead and co-founder of HUMANS, an ISS and Lunar symbolic avenue for space access worldwide. She also served as co-lead of the Space Law & Policy Project Group at the Space Generation Advisory Council. She previously worked on space projects including NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, Cassini’s mission activity on Titan, and the OneWeb satellites network. She holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering from MIT.

We are grateful to the supporters who made this project possible.

  • Arnold Ventures
  • The Audacious Project
  • D N Batten Foundation
  • The Benificus Foundation
  • Bezos Earth Fund
  • Christina and Jeffrey Bird
  • Builders Vision
  • Catena Foundation
  • The Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation
  • The Children's Investment Fund Foundation
  • J and Suzanne Crandall
  • Rachel Crane
  • John S. Curry
  • Duff & Phelps Charitable Foundation
  • Tony Fadell
  • Google
  • Bev Grant
  • Heising-Simons Family Fund
  • Amos and Barbara Hostetter
  • King Philanthropies
  • The Lemelson Foundation
  • Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
  • Julie and Ian McGuire
  • The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation
  • New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment
  • Charles M. Nunzio
  • Bill and Susan Oberndorf Foundation
  • Pat and Patti O’Donnell
  • Signe Ostby and Scott Cook
  • The Parke Family
  • Quadrivium Foundation
  • Robertson Foundation
  • Ted and Linda Schlein
  • Skoll Foundation
  • Skyline Foundation
  • Three Cairns Group
  • Three Graces Foundation
  • Valhalla Foundation
  • Andrew W. Verhalen
  • Sue Wagner and Neal Leonard
  • Zegar Family Foundation
  • Six Anonymous Donors