David R. Thompson is a Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.  He is Technical Group Lead of the JPL Imaging Spectroscopy Group, Deputy Principal Investigator of NASA's EMIT mission, Deputy Project Scientist of NASA's SBG-VSWIR mission, and Instrument Scientist for NASA’s and Lunar Trailblazer mission.  His research advances the algorithms and practice of imaging spectroscopy for characterizing Earth and other planetary bodies.  David’s approaches have been fielded to four continents, three oceans, multiple Earth-orbiting spacecraft, and twice to the surface of Mars.  He has received the NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal, the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal, the Lew Allen Award for Excellence, and the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal.

• Ph. D., Robotics, The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, 2008
• M.Sc. Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 2002
• B.A., Computer Science, Carleton College, 2001

Use of imaging spectrometers to characterize Earth and other planetary bodies. Statistical modeling and uncertainty quantification; real time analysis and planetary instrument autonomy; instrument characterization and calibration; atmospheric imaging, including greenhouse point sources; and a range of Earth science applications for visible-infrared remote imaging spectroscopy.

Professional positions:

• 2022- present:  Senior Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• 2018- present:  Principal, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• 2012- present:  Research Technologist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• 2008- 2012:      Member Technical and Research Staff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Current roles include:

• Deputy Principal Investigator, EMIT Mission
• Deputy Project Scientist, SBG-VSWIR Mission
• Investigation Scientist, AVIRIS Airborne Imaging Spectrometer
• Instrument Scientist, HVM3 on the Lunar Trailblazer Mission
• Principal Investigator, PRISM Instrument
• Technical Group Lead, Imaging Spectroscopy
• Science Team, BioSCape Airborne Mission
• Science Team, Delta-X Airborne Mission
• Science Team, S-MODE Airborne Mission

• NASA Award | NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal (2024)
• JPL Voyager Award (2022)
• Senior Research Scientist | Technologist (2022)
• NASA Award | NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal (2020)
• JPL Principal Designation | 382B - Imaging Spectroscopy (2018)
• NASA Award | NASA Early Career Achievement Medal (2014)
• The Lew Allen Award for Excellence | Caltech / JPL Lew Allen Award for Excellence (2014)
• The Lew Allen Award for Excellence | For leadership of machine learning by autonomous robots and intelligent onboard analysis of large datasets (2013)