Waleed Abdalati is a professor of Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Executive Director at CIRES. His research interests are in the use of satellite and airborne remote sensing techniques, integrated with in situ observations and modeling, to understand how and why the Earth's ice cover is changing, and what those changes mean for life on Earth. In particular, his research focuses on the contributions of ice sheets and high-latitude glaciers to sea level rise and their relationship to the changing climate. In addition, he focuses on improving the ways in which sea level rise information is packaged and presented in ways that can maximize its use by and policy-makers

Waleed received his MS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences and Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Colorado in 1991 and 1996 respectively. From 1996 through 2008, he worked in various positions at NASA, ranging from a research scientist, to program manager, to head of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Cryospheric Sciences Branch. In 2008, he had the good fortune of being able to return "home" to serve as director of the Earth Science and Observation Center at CU and join the faculty of the Geography Department. He is very glad to have the opportunity to bring the experiences and perspectives that he has acquired during his tenure at NASA back to the academic environment.