Jackson to manage Antarctic Earth Sciences program

Michael E. Jackson, currently the program director for Research Facilities and Special Projects in OPP’s Antarctic Sciences Section, will assume the duties of Antarctic Earth Sciences (AES) program director on Sept. 1.

He will replace Douglas Kowalewski, who has managed the AES program on a temporary--“rotator”--appointment. Kowalewski will be returning to Worcester State University in Massachusetts, where he is a geomorphologist.

In his current position, Jackson oversees a diverse portfolio of instrumentation proposals and support facilities, including data-management for Antarctic sciences. His existing portfolio will be assumed by individual discipline-specific program officers in the section.

Jackson has participated in a number of NSF cross-directorate and cross-divisional activities including the NSF Geoscience’s Directorate’s Prediction of and Resilience against Extreme Events (PREEVENTS) and NSF-wide Convergence Accelerator (C-Accel) and Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 programs.  

His scientific interests include seismology, geodesy, and atmospheric and space weather. He has served in large project-management roles building large facilities for NSF and he has chaired and participated in numerous review panels for NSF, the U.S. geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NASA.  He also has written more than 60 articles and abstracts on tectonics, volcanology, atmospheric water vapor, and technological innovations.  

Jackson hold a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of New Mexico, a master’s in geological sciences and a doctorate in geophysics from the University of Colorado.