Background
Dr. Erin Urquhart serves as the Program Manager for the NASA Earth Action Water Resource program at NASA Headquarters. She leads a NASA team of water applied research experts that coordinate a national community of funded researchers, collaborations with decision makers and partnerships with NASA research, satellite missions and education.
Previously, she led the pre-launch NASA PACE Applications Program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), where she engaged partners and data users to identify their needs and science objectives while exploring innovative and practical applications of Earth observations.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Urquhart’s research has focused on utilizing satellite data to monitor and model water quality in coastal, estuarine, and inland waters. Her work has addressed water management topics including recreational water safety, access to clean drinking water, safe and sustainable aquaculture, and protection of public health. Prior to joining NASA, Dr. Urquhart was a research fellow at the US Environmental Protection Agency, where she led the development of national lake water quality metrics as part of the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN). Dr. Urquhart was recently awarded the NASA Headquarters Honor Award for Excellence in Collaboration.
She holds a PhD and MS degree in Earth & Planetary Sciences from Johns Hopkins University, as well as a MHS in Environmental Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and a professional Design Thinking certificate from Cornell University.