Get to know us

Dr. Carlos E. Del Castillo is an oceanographer and environmental chemist with over 35 years studying biogeochemical and physical processes in the oceans and coastal environments using satellite remote sensing, statistical modeling, and field and laboratory work. Dr. Del Castillo has worked at two NASA centers and NASA Headquarters, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and the University of South Florida. He has over 35 publications and co-edited the book Remote Sensing of Aquatic Coastal Environments. He is a frequent reviewer for technical journals and served as associate editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research. He received the William Sackett Prize for Innovation and Excellence in Research from the University of South Florida (1999), the NASA Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2004), Emerald Honors Trailblazer Award (2007), and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2025). Dr. Del Castillo is an Army veteran and an avid boater who calls the Chesapeake Bay his home waters.

Dr. Erdem Karaköylü is a marine data scientist specializing in uncertainty-aware statistical modeling and machine learning applied to ocean remote sensing and ecological forecasting. He holds a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Dr. Karaköylü has held research and data science positions at NASA's Goddard Ocean Biology Processing Group, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland, UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and has worked as an independent data science consultant. His work has spanned satellite-derived ocean color products, phytoplankton dynamics, and data-driven marine modeling. He has also applied his machine learning expertise beyond the marine domain, including AI systems development for defense applications. He has published on a variety of topics in marine science and data-driven modeling. He is based in University Park, Maryland.

Dr. Cécile Rousseaux is a senior research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where she leads work at the intersection of Earth system modeling, ocean biogeochemistry, and satellite remote sensing. She holds a PhD Degree in Environmental Engineering. She brings over a decade of experience translating complex, multi-source observational data into actionable scientific insight.

At NASA, Dr. Rousseaux coordinates across mission teams and bridges observational platforms with coupled ocean-atmosphere models. Through Earth System Analytics, Dr. Rousseaux applies this expertise to physical climate risk assessment — helping organizations understand how Earth system change translates into real-world exposure across sectors including fisheries, agriculture, coastal infrastructure, and natural resources. She specializes in multi-mission data integration and quantitative modeling frameworks, including risk analysis.