Skip Navigation
Search for People:
Search for Projects:

Kelly Luis

Photo of Kelly Luis

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109

Curriculum Vitae:

Click here

Website:

Click here

Member of:

Water & Ecosystems

Scientist

Employed By

A NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellow is not an employee of any office or agency. The fellow has a guest appointment at JPL. ORAU currently administers the appointment.

Biography

Kelly Luis was born and raised on Maui, Hawaii. She received her B.A in Environmental Science from Columbia University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Marine Science and Technology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Kelly joined the Water and Ecosystems Group as a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow in September 2021. Her research focuses on the development of aquatic remote sensing algorithms for environmental monitoring, forecasting, and decision-making.

Education

  • A.A. Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawaii-Windward Community College, expected 2024
  • Ph.D. Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2021
  • M.S. Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2020.
  • B.A. Environmental Science, Columbia University, 2015

Professional Experience

  • JPL Postdoctoral Researcher (2023-2024)
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow (2021-2023)
  • Research Assistant, University of Massachusetts Boston (2021)
  • Research Assistant II, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2015-2016)

Community Service

  • Letters to a Pre-Scientist, September 2021-Present
  • Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022 Program Committee – Association for Limnology and Oceanography Student Representative
  • Association for Limnology and Oceanography - Early Career Committee Member
  • Girls Who Code Lead Instructor at the Grove Hall Branch of the Boston Public Library (2016-2020)

Research Interests

Development and application of visible and thermal remote sensing approaches for aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on water quality, harmful algal blooms, heatwaves, and aquaculture applications.

Selected Awards

  • NASA Postdoctoral Program (2021)
  • Switzer Foundation Fellowship (2020)
  • Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship (2018)
  • National Science Foundation – Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (2016)

Selected Publications

  • Wei, J., Wang, M., Lee, Z., Briceño, H. O., Yu, X., Jiang, L., ... & Luis, K. (2020). Shallow water bathymetry with multi-spectral satellite ocean color sensors: Leveraging temporal variation in image data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 250, 112035.
  • Luis, K. M., Rheuban, J. E., Kavanaugh, M. T., Glover, D. M., Wei, J., Lee, Z., & Doney, S. C. (2019). Capturing coastal water clarity variability with Landsat 8. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 145, 96-104.
  • Kavanaugh, M. T., Rheuban, J. E., Luis, K. M., & Doney, S. C. (2017). Thirty‐Three Years of Ocean Benthic Warming Along the US Northeast Continental Shelf and Slope: Patterns, Drivers, and Ecological Consequences. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 122(12), 9399-9414.