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Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Alex James Webb

(VISITING ASS RESEARCH SCIENTIS)

Alex James Webb's Contact Card & Information.
Email: alex.j.webb@nasa.gov
Org Code: 610.1
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 610.1
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: UNIV OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK

Brief Bio


In August 2023 I began my current role working for the University of Maryland's Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) as a contractor at NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). At GMAO I work with Lesley Ott and the Carbon team where we develop and utilize the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model to predict the composition of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. I also work on GMAO's MiCASA model, which provides a global high-resolution dataset of land carbon fluxes. My current role is to keep these models operational and to develop validation tools to assess their outputs, comparing them with satellite and in-situ measurements, as well as other models.


Before NASA I worked on the GeoCarb satellite mission at the University of Oklahoma where I performed spectral analysis on the detector during its development. I completed by PhD in 2017 in the United Kingdom at the University of Leicester where I also worked as a postdoc before moving to the US. This work revolved around performing and analyzing satellite retrievals for greenhouse gases and solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence from satellites such as GOSAT, OCO-2 and PRISMA.

Research Interests


Atmospheric Carbon Modeling and Assimilation

Earth Science: Atmospheric Chemistry


Greenhouse Gas Satellite Remote Sensing

Earth Science: Remote Sensing


Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence Remote Sensing

Earth Science: Remote Sensing


Current Projects


MiCASA Land Carbon Flux Model

Theory & Modeling

https://earth.gov/ghgcenter/data-catalog/micasa-carbonflux-grid-v1

Positions/Employment


Visiting Assistant Research Scientist

University of Maryland, ESSIC - Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, US

August 2023 - Present


Research Scientist

University of Oklahoma - Norman, Oklahoma, US

October 2022 - August 2023

GeoCarb Mission Scientist


Post-Doctoral Research Associate

University of Leicester, National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) - Leicester, UK

June 2018 - September 2022


Post-Doctoral Research Assistant

The Open University, Department of Physical Sciences - Milton Keynes, UK

January 2017 - June 2018

Education


PhD in Physics: Evaluating CH4 Concentrations and Emissions in the Amazon Basin Using the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite and Dedicated CH4 Models. University of Leicester, UK (2016)