Mike is a professor with interests in space geodesy and remote sensing, examining cryospheric and landscape changes and solid earth hazards. He has published more than 40 papers in peer-reviewed journals, mostly on landslides and glacier changes. He has developed novel techniques for differencing time series of digital elevation models and is part of the NASA sea level team deciphering how coastal cities will be impacted by sea level heights. He REALLY likes working in Greenland.

Mike is originally from Scotland and misses a good chip-shop, Irn Bru and misty heather covered mountains. He loves Blacksburg for the people and the surrounding hills. He and his wife have a large grey cat named Nuuk.

Contact at mikewillis at vt.edu 

Jessica Rich is research faculty in the Center for Coastal Studies at Virginia Tech and Co-PI with the Greenland Hazards Project. She is invested in the potential for communication to create equitable workplaces and to generate just socio-ecological futures in the face of global environmental crisis. She uses qualitative methods to investigate how patterns of power and resistance emerge through decision-making processes and professional identity formation. Grounded in organization and environmental studies, her research connects across science and technology disciplines. Situated in the contexts of energy industries and the culture of Arctic science, she examines how power organizes individuals in diverse workspaces—whether in the office, the lab, or the field site—and how work shapes human-nature relations.    

Contact at jessicarich at vt.edu 

Hello! My name is Maria De Los Santos, and I am a M.S. graduate student at Virginia Tech specializing in Geoscience. I have a B.S. in Earth Science from Syracuse University. I am dedicated to advancing sea level rise research in Latin American countries through my thesis on the impact of sea level rise in coastal inundation in coastal communities of the Dominican Republic. Along with my academic pursuits, I've gained valuable experiences as an intern at NASA DEVELOP, shaping my remote sensing, GIS, and coding skills. Outside of academia, I enjoy cooking, plane spotting, and traveling. 

For any inquiries, please get in touch with me at mariadls at vt.edu  

My name is Sachiko (Sachi) Sakai, and I'm currently working on my M.S. in the Geosciences Department at Virginia Tech. I previously attended the University of Houston and received my B.S. in Geophysics with a minor in Geology. My undergraduate research focused on coastal erosion changes along the Texas coast over time. That experience led me to develop my interest in working with remote sensing and GIS to observe changes and natural hazards. I also have experience in Geoconsulting with geophysical surveying (ERT and GPR) and core sample testing. I decided that I did not enjoy that work and decided to pursue a graduate degree instead, which led me here. 

I'm on the NNA Greenland Hazards Project and am focused on developing a novel camera that utilizes computer vision to observe iceberg movements (iceberg capsize). I am also working on generating digital elevation models for Siorapaluk, Greenland to help detect potential mass movements. 

I can be reached at sachiko at vt.edu