Dr. Miguel O. Román serves as Chief Climate Scientist and Technical Fellow at Leidos- a FORTUNE® 500 science and technology leader. As part of the Leidos Civil Group, Román is responsible for planning, leading, directing, and growing a $100M/yr portfolio of integrated and advanced capabilities, including earth-observing data and information systems, renewable energy, disaster resilience, and sustainable infrastructure.
Dr. Román has served in multiple leadership, organizational management, and technical capacities across the federal government, academic, and nonprofit sectors. Since 2014, he has led the Terra/Aqua MODIS and NOAA-20/Suomi-NPP VIIRS Science Teams, a worldwide group of investigators and technical staff in charge of one of the largest and most comprehensive polar-orbiting satellite systems operated by NASA and NOAA to monitor our planet’s vital signs.
A leading expert in the fields of satellite remote sensing, disaster risk reduction, and sustainability, Román has championed translational research and data-intensive approaches to assess and address climate-related risks. His work is internationally recognized for shedding light on the disproportionate hardships experienced by socially-vulnerable and underserved communities following major disasters.
A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dr. Román was recognized by President Barack Obama in 2016 with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). He is also a 2014 Service to America Medal “Sammies” finalist, one of the highest honors for federal civil servants. Dr. Román holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, a master’s degree in systems engineering from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in geography from Boston University