Boulder, Colorado, United States
Dr. Robert Leben is a Research Professor Emeritus in the Dept of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the Univ. of Colorado, Boulder and a member of the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR). His primary area of expertise is satellite altimetry and its application to ocean circulation monitoring. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed publications in this area. He is currently a P.I. on the OSTM/Jason-2 satellite altimeter missions, and was a Co-I. on the TOPEX/POSEIDON, Jason-1 and Envisat missions. He has also made significant contributions to oceanographic research in the Gulf of Mexico. He has been a P.I or Co-P.I. on research programs in the Gulf including the Minerals Management Service/Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (U. S. Department of the Interior) funded programs: Louisiana/Texas Shelf Physical Oceanography Program Eddy Circulation Study; GulfCet II - Cetaceans, Sea Turtles and Seabirds in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Distribution, Abundance and Habitat Associations; Desoto Canyon Eddy Intrusion Study; Exploratory Study of Deepwater Currents in the Gulf of Mexico; Survey of Deepwater Currents in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico; Survey of Deepwater Currents in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico; Gulf of Mexico Loop Current Study; A Lagrangian Approach to Study the Gulf of Mexico’s Deep Circulation; and the National Science Foundation Collaborative Research Program: Why does the Loop Current have such an irregular eddy shedding cycle? He has also assisted in the development and skill assessment of ocean circulation nowcast/forecast systems for the offshore oil and gas industry working in the Gulf of Mexico and off the southeast Brazil coast.