Prof. Shaun Quegan
Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics (CTCD), University of Sheffield
Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road
Sheffield S3 7RH
UK

email: S.Quegan (at) sheffield.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 3778
http://ctcd.group.shef.ac.uk/ctcd.html

Shaun received his B.A. in mathematics in 1970 and M.Sc. in mathematical statistics in 1972, both from the University of Warwick. After teaching for several years (and running a large mathematics department for three years), an ever-growing interest in physics led him to undertake research into large-scale modelling of the ionosphere and upper atmosphere at the University of Sheffield, leading to a Ph.D. in 1982. He then joined Marconi Research Centre, Great at Baddow, UK, as a Research Scientist, becoming Remote Sensing Applications Group Chief in 1984. This was a fortunate opportunity to work with an excellent team involved in SAR research, from which many fruitful long-term collaborations sprang, not least that with Chris Oliver.

The offer of a post at the University of Sheffield in 1986 provided the chance to build an academic SAR research group, whose activities flourished. In 1993 he was awarded a Professorship, and in the same year he helped to inaugurate the Sheffield Centre for Earth Observation Science, of which he remains the Director. SCEOS played a central part in coordinating and developing the wide range of remote sensing skills in the University. In 2001, he became Director of the National Environmental Research Council Earth Observation Centre of Excellence in Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics, whose purpose is to give greater understanding and better quantitative estimates of the role of terrestrial ecosystems in the Earth's carbon cycle. Following on from this, he will lead the Carbon Cycle Theme in the new UK National Centre for Earth Observation, to be inaugurated in April 2008.

With Thuy Le Toan of CESBIO, he was the lead proposer of the BIOMASS P-band mission currently being assessed by ESA for the next Core mission in the Earth Explorer series. He has great expertise in the physics, systems and data analysis aspects of radar remote sensing, especially SAR, but his current interests lie more in the exploitation of remote sensing technologies in environmental science, particularly terrestrial carbon. His publications include two books on radar and radar imaging, and around 200 journal and conference research papers.

He is a member of ESA’s Science Advisory Committee, the Terrestrial Observations Panel on Climate, the JAXA Kyoto and Carbon Panel, the ESA BIOMASS Mission Advisory Group, and was Chairman of the Terrestrial Carbon Observations Panel from 2002-2005.