Ph.D. Candidate
M.S., Climate & Space Science and Engineering
University of Michigan (2018)
B.S., Meteorology
Minor, Physics
North Carolina State University (2015)
My research emphasizes remote sensing of the cryosphere. Currently, I have a particular interest in the assessment of remote sensing retrieval techniques. I recently completed a project analyzing the effects of impurities and solar geometry on the retrieval of snowpack properties. I am now performing validation work for the Ice, Clouds, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission. This work utilizes airborne lidar, satellite altimetry, and airborne hyperspectral data to examine the effects of snow on ICESat-2 surface height measurements.
I am a fifth year Ph.D. student currently working under Dr. Mark Flanner. Before my graduate studies, I was a student at NC State University for meteorology. There, I focused on aerosols and photochemistry before transitioning to radiative transfer and remote sensing.
I have performed additional work at NASA Langley Research Center as an intern for the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) and Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) missions.
In addition to conducting research, I have an interest in teaching and science communication.
Fair, Z., M. Flanner, K. M. Brunt, H. A. Fricker, A. S. Gardner, (2020). Using ICESat-2 and Operation IceBridge altimetry for supraglacial lake depth retrievals. The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-136, in review.