The Speakers

Avik Bhattacharya (Senior Member, IEEE) received the integrated M.Sc. degree in mathematics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, in 2000, and Ph.D. in remote sensing image processing and analysis from Télécom ParisTech, Paris, France, and the Ariana Research Group, Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA), Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France, in 2007. He is a Professor at the Centre of Studies in Resources Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai, India where he leads the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory (MRS Lab). He was the Associate Editor and Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters (GRSL) from 2019 to 2023. He has been the Guest Editor of the special issue on Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, India, in IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing since 2017. He is the Founding Chairperson of the IEEE-GRSS Chapter of the Bombay Section. 

Shane R. Cloude (Fellow, IEEE) received the B.Sc. (Hons.) degree from the University of Dundee, Dundee, U.K., in 1981, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K., in 1987. He was a Radar Scientist with the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, Great Malvern, U.K.. Following this, he held teaching and research posts at the University of Dundee; the University of York, York, United Kingdom; and the University of Nantes, Nantes, France; before taking on his present role in 2001. He is currently a Senior Scientist with AEL Consultants, Cupar, United Kingdom, undertaking research on a range of topics associated with radar and optics. His main research interests are in polarization effects in electromagnetic scattering and their applications in radar and optical remote sensing. Dr Cloude is a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, and has held Honorary Professorships and Chairs at the University of Dundee; the University of York; and The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

Raffaella Guida (Member, IEEE) received the Laurea degree (cum laude) in telecommunications engineering and the Ph.D. degree in electronic and telecommunications engineering from the University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, in 2003 and 2007, respectively. In 2008, she joined the Surrey Space Centre (SSC), University of Surrey, Guildford, U.K., where she is a Reader, the Head of the Remote Sensing Applications research group, and the Director of the Postgraduate Research Program. She has been involved in exchange and know-how transfer programs and delivered bespoke courses on SAR and remote sensing in several countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Algeria, Nigeria, Spain, China, the Philippines, and Qatar. Her main research interests are in electromagnetics and microwave remote sensing, particularly in the simulation and modelling of synthetic aperture radar signals, new remote sensing mission concepts and applications, satellite data fusion, and interoperability. 

Vahid Akbari received the Ph.D. in physics specialising in radar remote sensing and data analytics from the UiT—The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway, in 2013. Since 2014, he continued his research as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the UiT—The Arctic University of Norway, the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Akershus, Norway, and the University of Stirling, Stirling, U.K. He was a Visiting Scientist with Signal Processing and Telecommunications Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy, in 2011, and a Visiting Researcher with the German Geoscience Centre, Potsdam, Germany, in 2008. He was an Assistant Professor with the University of Tehran in 2015. Since 2023, he has been a Lecturer with the University of Stirling. His primary research interests include the intersection of radar remote sensing and statistical modelling/machine learning, with a particular focus on applications in environmental monitoring.