Gregory Leptoukh (October 13, 1953 – January 12, 2012)
Dr. Greg Leptoukh passed away unexpectedly January 12, 2012 of cardiac arrest at the age of 58. Dr. Leptoukh was well-known for his leadership linking science and technology for data analysis, data discovery, and multi-sensor data fusion. He was also noted for his vision of making data more readily accessible using the Giovanni data analysis system.
Dr. Leptoukh joined the Goddard DAAC in 1997 to support SeaWiFS data distribution, followed by heading the MODIS data support team. In May 2003, he became the Science Data Manager of the GES DISC, a position in which he excelled.
In the past five years, Dr. Leptoukh was Principal Investigator of four NASA-supported projects and Co-I for six other NASA projects related to developing tools to support the advancement of Earth science data access, fusion, online analysis and visualization of atmospheric data. His most recent research interests included multi-sensor and model data intercomparison, data quality and provenance, aerosol data fusion, and design and development of online data analysis tools. He was also an active member of several organizations, including the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners, the GEWEX Aerosol Panel, and the Earth Science Data System Working Group; and he advanced international scientific partnerships, including the Northern Eurasian Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI) and the Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study (MAIRS).
The loss of Dr. Leptoukh will be deeply felt by his colleagues at the GES DISC, the Goddard Space Flight Center community, and his many collaborators around the world.