Marufa Ishaque

Dr. Marufa Ishaque is a physical oceanographer who completed her PhD at Old Dominion University. During her doctoral studies, she used numerical models and observational data to investigate monsoon variability on the physical structure of the near-surface Indian Ocean and its influence on depth-integrated chlorophyll. Before starting her PhD, she taught ocean sciences at the Bangladesh Maritime University. She completed her master’s studies in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Dhaka. After completing her master’s, she spent two months at the Laboratoire d’Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (LEGOS) in Toulouse, France, where she improved her skills in altimetry data and worked on estimating tidal constituents from satellite altimetry. Her background includes fieldwork experience, working with various satellite products and ocean models. Having grown up in Bangladesh, a low-lying country with a high population density, she has witnessed the challenges posed by floods, saltwater intrusion, and other environmental and socio-economic issues, and she is eager to contribute to this field. At JPL, she is working on integrating satellite observations of the global water cycle and linking to localized impacts and water-driven hazards.