Autonomous surface vehicles developer Saildrone has named Dr. Eric Lindstrom as its new chief scientist.
Dr. Lindstrom has served as the Physical Oceanography Program Scientist in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C for the past 22 years, working with the QuikSCAT, Jason-2, Jason-3, SWOT, and Aquarius satellite missions, and as well as the Earth Science Division Climate Focus Area.
Dr. Lindstrom is set to retire from NASA at the end of November 2019 and will join the Saildrone team on December 2, 2019.
“Dr. Lindstrom has spent his entire career developing and quantifying ocean observing technologies. There is no one on this planet more qualified to spearhead the new Saildrone Ocean Observing Network ,” said Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins . “ We are thrilled to add his experience and perspective to our team.”
As chief scientist, Dr. Lindstrom will oversee Saildrone’s science efforts, including observing system design, instrument selection, data quality, and sensor validation.
Saildrone plans to deploy an additional 50 unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) during 2020, in a coordinated research effort to quantify and understand some of the biggest challenges facing our oceans, and ultimately, our planet.
“ Saildrone is the best solution for many in-situ observing requirements. The global reach of the Saildrone fleet and its ability to collect high-quality data on air-sea interaction, gas transfer, biodiversity, and seafloor topography is unprecedented. I am happy to commit the rest of my career in oceanography to growing this critical capability and implementing a new ocean observing system for the next century ,” said Lindstrom .