Mike MacFerrin

Mike MacFerrin is a post-doctoral research associate in the Earth Science and Observation Center (ESOC) within the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Dr. MacFerrin's specialties focus on the interactions of increased meltwater on snow and firn properties on the Greenland ice sheet, with a secondary specialty in using Computer Vision and Machine Learning technologies to extract information from satellite and airborne remote sensing observations. MacFerrin's PhD work resulted in the discovery of a new meltwater runoff mechanism occurring in Greenland that is beginning to rapidly accelerate runoff from the upper-elevation interior of Greenland, further enhancing its contributions to sea-level rise. The work was recently published in the journal Nature, "Rapid expansion of Greenland's low-permeability ice slabs".

In addition to his research, MacFerrin works as a part-time faculty at the University of Colorado, teaching Remote Sensing and Introduction to Climate Change for the Geography and Atmospherice & Oceanic Sciences departments, respectively. Feel free to ask Dr. MacFerrin about courses he may be teaching soon. MacFerrin is also engaged in science outreach and, time allowing, available for speaking events and other engagements about ice sheet science and glaciology. His talks and commentaries have been featured in several podcasts, TV productions, and public talks in recent years.

When not building instruments, heading to the ice sheet, processing remote sensing data, or teaching classes at CU Boulder, MacFerrin spends time with his wife and three children at home, camping, hiking, and/or backpacking whenever possible.

If you would like to speak with Dr. MacFerrin, you can email him from the link provided on the sidebar of the page. Click here to download a current CV.