David Shean is an assistant professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington. His research involves the development and application of new methods to study dynamic Earth system components with real-world implications for water resources, sea level rise, and natural hazards. His current research uses satellite, airborne, UAV, and terrestrial remote sensing observations to understand the Earth’s cryosphere, with focus on mountain glaciers, seasonal snow, and ice sheets. Much of this work requires modern data science approaches and high-performance computing to answer questions that cannot be addressed using traditional approaches.

David’s early research involved documenting past glaciation and evidence for climate change on Mars. He went on to work for Yellowstone National Park, where he studied dynamic hydrothermal features, and then Boston University, where he performed geophysical surveys of glaciers in the Transantarctic Mountains. From 2007-2011, David worked for Malin Space Science Systems as a member of the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX) and Mars Color Imager (MARCI) science operations team. His PhD research at the University of Washington documented the evolution of ice-shelf basal melt and ice-stream dynamics in West Antarctica to better understand future ice-sheet stability.

For most recent publication list, please check Google Scholar profile.

A selection of recorded/documented talks in recent years:

I teach the following courses in the UW Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering:

• Advanced Surveying (GNSS, SfM, UAVs, TLS)
• Geospatial Data Analysis (with Python)

Students can check the UW time schedule for updates.

I’m a big proponent of free and open-source software.

Much of my code (including this website) is publicly available on github.

I use the following on a daily basis:

• Python
• NumPy/SciPy/Matplotlib
• GDAL/OGR
• bash
• QGIS
• Ames Stereo Pipeline

• dshean@uw.edu
• 206-543-3105
• 201 More Hall, Box 352700, Seattle, Washington 98195-2700
• Office: Wilcox Hall 265