Andrew Heidinger is the GEO Scientist and GeoXO Program Scientist. He assumed this position in 2020. In this role he conducts and leads research that involves the development of the scientific justification for improved satellite instrumentation, development, and improvement of satellite remote sensing applications. He also serves as technical liaison with NASA and other agencies, ensuring approved programs have the required capability to sustain NESDIS/GEO satellite remote sensing.
As Program Scientist he serves as an independent expert and representative of the science and user communities responsible for ensuring the scientific integrity at all stages of satellite development. He works with the NOAA, NESDIS and GOES user community to define the users' needs, operational requirements, and science data product requirements for the GEO mission.
Since 2006 he has been the GOES-R cloud team lead and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) risk reduction project scientist. He also acted as the JPSS cloud team lead from 2011 to 2020.
Heidinger's research at NOAA is focused primarily on cloud remote sensing using imagers. His projects included the development of new algorithms for operational satellites. In addition, he is involved with projects developing new remote sensing techniques and radiative transfer models for advanced satellite imagers. He is also interested in satellite calibration and analysis of long-term imager data sets. He has used techniques to exploit the information contained in visible to infrared frequencies to extract information on clouds, aerosols, and other atmospheric phenomena. This work is done in collaboration with other elements of NASA, NOAA, and academia.
He received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University in 1998. His Ph.D. research was focused on using measurements in the A-band of oxygen to perform nadir sounding of clouds and aerosols.
Heidinger is stationed at the Cooperative Institute of Meteorological Satellite Studies at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Heidinger also serves as an adjunct professor in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.