Waleed Abdalati is Director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU-Boulder). Scientists and students at CIRES, which was established through a cooperative agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), conduct research that focuses on understanding the physical, chemical, biological, and social aspects of the Earth’s environment at time scales that range from minutes to millennia, and spatial scales that range from the microscopic to global. Dr. Abdalati is also a Professor in CU-Boulder’s Geography Department. His own research focuses on the use of satellites and aircraft to understand how Earth's glaciers, ice sheets, and sea ice are changing and the implications of those changes for the Earth System. Dr. Abdalati spent 14 years working for NASA in various research and leadership capacities, most recently as NASA Chief Scientist. In this role, he advised the NASA Administrator on matters related to NASA’s science programs and strategic planning and served as the key NASA science interface to the White House, Congress, and other federal agencies. Dr. Abdalati earned a B.S. from Syracuse University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from CU-Boulder.