Ryan Vandermeulen

Background

Ryan has an interest, nay, obsession with satellite remote sensing and optical oceanography. His past professional proclivities include the development and implementation of novel ocean color algorithms with tongue-twisting acronyms, leading international groups of very opinionated scientists towards bona fide consensus on various contentious topics, and pondering the meaning of life in the context of phytoplankton. Ryan acquired his sea legs during his graduate work at the University of Southern Mississippi, moving on to work closely with the Naval Research Lab and various prehistoric reptiles deep in the bayous of Stennis Space Center. NASA’s Ocean Ecology Lab eventually beckoned him to move to Maryland, where for 7 years he delved into an assortment of research projects, and found a knack for making music out of satellite data (no, really). He likes his science, no doubt, but Ryan also enjoys developing outreach materials that ignite the interest of a broader public audience in the science of our natural world.

Current work

Ryan serves as the national point of contact for all things satellite related within NOAA Fisheries. Day after day, he anxiously awaits any and all opportunities to promote the integration of satellite data and technology into the framework of fisheries management, and should you make eye contact with him, he will talk your ear off about anything pertaining to satellites or satellite oceanography. He shares his strong opinions amongst roughly two dozen satellite-related working groups with the objective of articulating NMFS needs and leading satellite engagement internal to NOAA, nationally, and internationally. As the NMFS User Scientist for the Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) mission, he persistently fights tooth and nail to ensure NOAA’s next generation satellites are formulated and designed with ocean and fisheries applications in mind. Incidentally, someone has entrusted him with managing radio frequency spectrum management for Fisheries, and thusly he is the official gatekeeper of call signs for NMFS vessels.