Robert Kursinski

Kursinski has 30+ years of experience in science and engineering related to remote sensing and atmospheric science. He earned a BS in Physics and Music Theory at Haverford College, a MS in Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern California and his Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences with a minor Geophysics from California Institute of Technology. He has published more than 75 related research papers. Prior to his work in the private sector Dr. Kursinski was an Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona and previous to that he was a Research Scientist at JPL in Pasadena, California extending back to a member of the Voyager Radio Science team. He won the NASA Exceptional Service Award as system engineer and manager of the Implementation of the Deep Space Network Radio Science System for the Voyager Neptune encounter. Dr. Kursinski’s research focuses on atmospheric remote sensing, particularly tied to the hydrological cycle and climate change. The goal is to understand how water vapor concentrations are controlled, how they will change in a changing climate and the connection between water vapor and moist convection, clouds and precipitation. Dr. Kursinski’s research has been both global and regional for instance on the North American monsoon. Much of Dr. Kursinski’s research involves atmospheric remote sensing using the Global Positioning System (“GPS”). Dr. Kursinski has spent a great deal of effort understanding the accuracy, resolution and overall information content of the GPS observations and how they can be combined with other observations to estimate and understand the atmosphere state and its evolution. Dr. Kursinski conceived the ATOMMS remote sensing concept for Earth, as well as Mars. He led the team that developed a prototype ATOMMS instrument and used it to demonstrate, via mountaintop experiments, ATOMMS’ unprecedented, laboratory-quality performance for determining water vapor in any and all weather conditions. GNSS and ATOMMS RO reflect his quest to determine the state of the atmosphere with highest accuracy and resolution and minimum ambiguity to understand and predict future weather and climate.