Dr. Irfan Azeem is the Chief of the Research to Operations and Project Planning Division (ROPPD) within SWO. In this role he manages ROPPD's pre-formulation and early formulation activities for new satellite systems as well as the execution of studies for project alternatives, to identify specific potential solutions to NESDIS top-level requirements. He also provides expertise in the integration and execution of space weather activities within ROPPD.
Prior to joining NOAA SWO, Dr. Azeem was the Chief Scientist at Atmospheric & Space Technology Research Associates (ASTRA) LLC., where provided technical leadership in research and developments across the company. He managed the science portfolio at ASTRA and led various research programs in space physics and space weather, ranging from numerical modeling to instrument development and data analytics. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the Program Director for the Space Weather Research in the Division of Atmospheric & Geospace Sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF). He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award and the Antarctica Service Medal.
Dr. Azeem received his BEng degree (Honors with First Class) in Electronics Engineering from the University of Hull, UK and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in Electrical Engineering and Space Sciences.