Research Interests

Our primary research interest is in space instrumentation and the observation of planetary atmospheres. We are developing a series of instruments for space flight to observe Earth, Mars and the Extrasolar planets beyond our solar system.

I was previously a co-investigator for the MANTRA balloon program. These missions examine uncertainties in mid-latitude stratospheric nitrogen chemistry as a possible explanation of the under-prediction of ozone depletion by current atmospheric models. My project responsibilities include the flight and data analysis of two emission radiometers, the development of a balloon-based occultation and limb pointing system and, more recently, the preparation and integration of the science payload for MANTRA 2000. Future MANTRA missions are planned for August 2002 and August 2003.

The laboratory also develops a new generation line-by-line radiative transfer code called Genspect. Genspect is the first code which allows calculations to be scaled according to a user specified error tolerance.