Michael Watkins

SCIGN Scientist

As the supervisor of the Satellite Geodesy and Geodynamics Systems Group, Mike Watkins is very involved in SCIGN research at JPL. He is also a member of the SCIGN Board, and is deeply involved in the planning and implementation of the network and coordinating JPL's efforts with those from other agencies involved in the SCIGN project.

Mike earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to his work at JPL, Mike was a research scientist at the Center for Space Research in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at UT-Austin and was also a visiting scientist at the Obseratoire de Paris, in France.

In addition to his work with the SCIGN project, Mike is studying improvements to GPS analysis, including ambiguity resolution techniques and improved orbit and troposphere modelling and the Earth's gravity field and its temporal variations. He is involved in the GRACE mission to map the global geoid at a mm-scale.

Mike is a member of the American Geophysical Union, and is a member of the Geodesy Executive Committee of AGU, as well as Tau Beta Pi. He has been awarded two NASA Group Acheivement Awards for his work with CDP and TOPEX Development, and also the NASA Public Service Award for his work with TOPEX/Posiedon Precise Orbit Determination.

Mike's recreational interests include reading, especially history, and tennis.

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Andrea Donnellan || Maggi Glasscoe || Michael Heflin || Ken Hurst || David Jefferson || Greg Lyzenga || Anne Mikolajcik || Jay Parker || Mark Smith || Michael Watkins || Frank Webb || Jim Zumberge

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Last modified on 8/13/98 by Maggi Glasscoe (scignedu@jpl.nasa.gov)