Michelle A. Hofton

Michelle Hofton received the B.Sc. degree in natural sciences and the Ph.D degree in geophysics from Durham University, Durham, U.K., in 1991 and 1995, respectively. She has held Postdoctoral Researcher positions at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St. Mary, U.K., and the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA. Since 1998, she has been a Research Professor with the Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA. She is an expert in the utilization of precise and accurate high-altitude laser altimetry for a variety of uses, including mapping surface topography and forest structure. Her research focuses on the improvement of measurement and data processing techniques and calibration/validation approaches to improve the accuracy of air and spaceborne sensors. She has helped pioneer advanced altimetry and waveform analysis techniques for improved information extraction such as waveform modeling and pulse correlation. During recent years, she has worked on establishing a high-altitude airborne laser altimeter capability that enables the routine collection and distribution of data. She is the Mission Scientist for NASA's Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor.