Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer

Dr. Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer directs the Ocean Physics program at NASA HQ, Science Mission Directorate. She provides strategic scientific leadership for the development, launch, and scientific exploration of major Earth-observing satellite missions, including SWOT, the Jason-series, Sentinel-6 MF/B/C, SMAP, and CRISTAL. She directs multiple NASA science teams that advance understanding of the ocean’s role in the Earth system, manages a diverse research portfolio with an annual budget in the tens of millions of dollars, and represents NASA in high-level national and international arenas, including White House subcommittees, the United Nations, CEOS, and other global partnerships.  

Before joining NASA HQ in science executive capacity, Dr. Vinogradova Shiffer served on several NASA science teams as a leading expert in satellite remote sensing and modeling of sea level rise, Earth heat and water budgets, gravity changes, and ocean thermodynamics. Her scientific contributions span more than 100 publications, books, and proceedings, including chapters in IPCC climate assessment reports. 

Dr. Vinogradova Shiffer began her career as a university lecturer in data science and machine learning, and has worked across academia and the private sector, with affiliations at MIT and the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She co-founded a non-profit organization advancing Earth science through satellite and advance modeling systems; and participated in multiple sea-going field campaigns aboard of U.S. Navy research vessels.  

Dr. Vinogradova Shiffer holds a Ph.D. in Ocean Physics and M.S. in Applied Mathematics, and is raising two young scientists in the Washington, DC area.