William Stefanov
Branch Chief, Exploration Science Office | NASA
William Stefanov
Branch Chief, Exploration Science Office
NASA
Phone
281.483.5139
Phone
281.483.5139
Biography
William Stefanov is Branch Chief of the Exploration Science Office within the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division. In this role, he works together with the leads of the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit (ESRS); Image Science and Analysis Group (ISAG), and Artemis Science Integration (ASI) teams within the Office to support Agency initiatives in terrestrial and planetary exploration, operations, and science. He serves as the International Space Station (ISS) Program Scientist for Earth Observations facilitating continued development and use of the ISS as a remote sensing platform for basic and applied research, and as a platform for data collection to support disaster response. He is directly involved in astronaut training for scientific observation and data collection in support of future human space exploration missions. While academically and professionally trained as a geologist, Dr. Stefanov is an interdisciplinary scientist with numerous published research articles and chapters in peer-reviewed journals, books, and proceedings volumes on diverse applications of remote sensing ranging from mineral and rock identification to assessment of spider diversity in urban environments.
Education
Ph.D.
Geology
Arizona State University
2000
M.S.
Geology
Arizona State University
1992
B.S.
Environmental Science (Geology concentration)
University of Massachusetts
1988
Education
Ph.D., Geology, 2000
Arizona State University
M.S., Geology, 1992
Arizona State University
B.S., Environmental Science (Geology concentration), 1988
University of Massachusetts
Select Publications
Stefanov, W.L. (2022) MASTER: RSL Airborne Campaign, Heat Island Study, Phoenix, Arizona, 2011. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1975
Sánchez de Miguel, A., Zamorano, J., Bennie, J., Aubé, M., Gallego, J., Ocaña, F., Pettit, D.R., Stefanov, W.L., and Gaston, K.J. (2021) Colour remote sensing of the impact of artificial light at night (II): Calibration of DSLR-based images from the International Space Station. Remote Sensing of Environment 264, Article 112611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112611
Schultz, C. J., Lang, T. J., Leake, S., Runco, M., & Stefanov, W.[L.] (2021). A technique for automated detection of lightning in images and video from the International Space Station for scientific understanding and validation. Earth and Space Science, 8, e2020EA001085. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001085
Stefanov, W.L., Jones, L.A., Cameron, A.K., Vanderbloemen, L.A., and Evans, C.A. (2019) A Researcher’s Guide to: International Space Station Earth Observations (2nd Edition). Johnson Space Center Publication NP-2019-07-003-JSC, 58 p.
Stefanov, W.L., Evans, C.A., Runco, S.K., Wilkinson, M.J., Higgins, M.D., and Willis, K. (2017) Astronaut photography: Handheld camera imagery from Low Earth Orbit. In Pelton, J.N., Madry, S., and Camacho-Lara, S. (eds.), Handbook of Satellite Applications 2nd Ed. Springer, New York, pp. 847-899.
Stefanov, W.L., and Evans, C.A. (2015) “Data collection for disaster response from the International Space Station.” The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, and Spatial Information Sciences 40, 7/W3, pp. 851-855.
Stefanov, W.L., and Green, D. (2013) Geology and soils in deserts of the southwestern USA. In Malloy, R., Brock, J., Floyd, A., Livingston, M., and Webb, R. (eds.), Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development. CRC Press, New York, pp. 37-57.
Harlan, S.L., Declet-Barreto, J.H., Stefanov, W.L., and Petitti, D. (2013) "Neighborhood effects on heat deaths: Social and environmental predictors of vulnerability in Maricopa County, Arizona." Environmental Health Perspectives 121 (2), pp. 197-204.
Evans, C.A., Wilkinson, M.J., Stefanov, W.L., and Willis, K. (2011) Training astronauts to observe Earth from the space shuttle and International Space Station, in Garry, W.B., and Bleacher, J.E., eds., Analogs for Planetary Exploration: Geological Society of America Special Paper 483, p. 67-73, doi:10.1130/2011.2483(05).
Jenerette, G.D., Harlan, S.L., Stefanov, W.L., and Martin, C.A. (2011) "Ecosystem services and urban heat riskscape moderation: Water, green spaces, and social inequality in Phoenix, USA." Ecological Applications 21 (7), pp. 2637-2651.
Grossman-Clarke, S., Stefanov, W.L., and Zehnder, J.A. (2011) Urban weather, climate, and air quality modeling: Increasing resolution and accuracy using improved urban morphology. In Yang, X. (ed.), Urban Remote Sensing: Monitoring, Synthesis and Modeling in the Urban Environment. Wiley-Blackwell, New York, pp. 305-319.
Stefanov, W.L., and Netzband, M. (2010) Characterization and monitoring of urban/peri-urban ecological function and landscape structure using satellite data. In Rashed, T., and Jürgens, C. (eds.), Remote Sensing of Urban and Suburban Areas, Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing Volume 10. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 219-244.
Wentz, E.A., Nelson, D., Rahman, A., Stefanov, W.L., and Roy, S.S. (2008) "Expert system classification of urban land use/cover for Delhi, India." International Journal of Remote Sensing 29 (15), pp. 4405-4427.
Shochat E., Stefanov W.L., Whitehouse M.E.A., and Faeth S. H. (2008) Urbanization and spider diversity: Influences of human modification of habitat structure and productivity. In Marzluff, J.M., Shulenberger, E., Endlicher, W., Alberti, M., Bradley, G., Ryan, C., ZumBrunnen, C., and Simon, U. (eds.), Urban Ecology: An International Perspective on the Interaction Between Humans and Nature. Springer, New York, pp. 455-472.
Stefanov, W.L., and Brazel, A.J. (2007) Challenges in characterizing and mitigating urban heat islands - a role for integrated approaches including remote sensing. In Netzband, M., Stefanov, W.L., and Redman, C. (eds.), Applied Remote Sensing for Urban Planning, Governance and Sustainability. Springer, Berlin, pp. 117-135.
Harlan, S.L., Brazel, A.J., Jenerette, G.D., Jones, N.S., Larsen, L., Prashad, L., and Stefanov, W.L. (2007) "In the shade of affluence: The inequitable distribution of the urban heat island." Research in Social Problems and Public Policy 15, pp. 173-202.
Jenerette, G.D., Harlan, S.L., Brazel, A., Jones, N., Larsen, L., and Stefanov, W.L. (2007) "Regional relationships between surface temperature, vegetation, and human settlement in a rapidly urbanizing ecosystem." Landscape Ecology 22, pp. 353-365.
Applegarth, M.T., and Stefanov, W.L. (2006) "Use of Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) imagery to investigate upslope particle size controls on arid piedmont morphology." Geomorphology 82, pp. 388-397.
Stefanov, W.L., and Netzband, M. (2005) “Assessment of ASTER land cover and MODIS NDVI data at multiple scales for ecological characterization of an arid urban center.” Remote Sensing of Environment 99 (1-2), pp. 31-43.