Lori Magruder, an associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, was recently named the first woman director of the UT Center for Space Research.

Magruder specializes in remote sensing and geospatial data science, which uses lasers in space to provide three-dimensional views of Earth’s surface. She said her experience in these fields helped her lead NASA’s ICESat-2 mission, a multidisciplinary project that collects data on ice, cloud and land elevation as a result of climate change.

“(The satellite) gives us global elevation measurements across Earth surfaces,” Magruder said. “We got a lot of information to see how (Earth) is changing, and NASA has harnessed the capacity of this tool to put up three major missions.”

Magruder and six co-authors published a paper on Jan. 30 analyzing changes on Earth’s surface using data collected from over 20 years of these missions.

Magruder got her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from UT while studying the development of the original ICESat mission. 

“It’s really exciting to be the director, it’s very special to me because I got my Ph.D. from (the Center), and it’s been part of my history,” Magruder said. “I understand the legacy that (the Center) has in supporting major NASA missions and being impactful in the science community.”

Magruder said she looks forward to helping the Center grow through collaboration and diverse research.

“I’m hopeful to continue the legacy (of) the previous directors (and) the whole CSR community that have done amazing research, … and I want to help foster that and help keep it growing,” Magruder said.