Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer

Dr. Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer directs the Ocean Physics program at NASA HQ, Science Mission Directorate, Earth Science Division. She provides scientific leadership for the development, launch, and scientific exploration of multiple NASA missions (Jason-3, Sentinel-6/Jason-CS, SWOT, SMAP, OMG, S-MODE, COWVR). She forms and oversees multiple NASA science teams to study the ocean’s role in the Earth climate system, and is responsible for a diverse portfolio that operates on a tens of million-dollar annual budget. As a climate scientist and ocean physicist, Dr. Vinogradova Shiffer represents NASA at various national and international contexts, including the White House Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, United States Global Change Research Program, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and others.

Prior to her management role at NASA HQ, Nadya was a member of multiple NASA science teams as an expert on satellite and computational modeling of sea level rise, gravity changes, ocean dynamics, and Earth heat and freshwater cycles in a warming climate. Her science results are summarized in 100+ publications, books, and proceedings including IPCC climate assessments reports. Having started her career as a university lecturer on data science and machine learning methods, Nadya worked in academia and the private sector, contributed to the Navy’s sea-going field campaigns, and co-founded a non-profit organization that promotes research in Earth science. She holds a PhD in Ocean Physics, and MS in Applied Mathematics. She raises two young scientists with her husband Mark in the Washington, DC area.