Team
SATACI cross-ECV project team

Marta Luffarelli, Rayference, SATACI Science Leader
Marta Luffarelli is the Managing Director of Rayference, which goal is to develop innovative solutions for Earth Observation. In her current position, she oversee the strategic vision, business development, and operational management of the organization. She have a strong background in remote sensing, with a PhD in Physics from Université libre de Bruxelles and more than 8 years of experience as a remote sensing scientist at Rayference, working on several European and international projects, applying her skills in scientific research, coding, and technical writing. She will manage the SATACI project and lead the Scientific Study I (aerosol indirect effect on liquid clouds) within Activity I.

Elisa Carboni, RAL Space, Research Scientist,
Elisa Carboni is a Research Scientist at Remote sensing group - RAL space. Within SATACI, She will support the analysis of consistency/differences between satellite dataset and models with a singular vector decomposition (SVD) analysis and support the quantification of the impact of using Level-2 or Level-3 data through radiative fluxes calculations.

Yves Govaerts Rayference SRL, Scientific Advisor
Yves Govaerts is administrator and scientific advisor at Rayference, the company he funded in 2013. His extensive knowledge and expertise is applied to the remote sensing of aerosols, clouds and surface reflectance, as well as cal/val activities and metrology. He will act as Scientific Advisor within the SATACI project.

Jan Griesfeller, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Research Scientist
Jan Griesfeller will support the interfacing of the constraints obtained from satellite observation with the NorESM model within the SATACI project and provide scientific support.

Thomas Holzer-Popp DLR Senior Scientists
Thomas Holzer-Popp is a Senior Scientist at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). He is the Science Leader of the Aerosol CCI projects. Within the SATACI project, he will lead Activity II, the feasibility study of a new aerosol-cloud climate indicator.

Stefan Kinne, Retired. Previously Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology,Senior Scientist
Stefan researches Atmospheric and environmental sciences, Aerosols, Meteorology, and AERONET.

Nicolas Misk, Rayference SRL, Research Engineer
Nicolas Misk is a Research Engineer at Rayference, specializing in radiative transfer and remote sensing technologies. He plays a key role in developing and maintaining tools for comparing Radiative Transfer Models (RTMs) using Python in a distributed environment. He is currently a PhD candidate at the Q-Forestlab of Ghent university. Within SATACI he is the WP leader on the uncertainty characterisation and propagation within scientific study 1.

Hershal Pandya, Rayference SRL, Data Processing Engineer
Hershal Pandya is a Data Processing Engineer at Rayference, where he contributes his expertise in large-scale data analysis and scientific software development. With a PhD in AstroParticle Physics from the University of Delaware and over twelve years of research experience, Hershal brings a deep understanding of complex data environments to his work. He will contribute to Scientific Study I within Activity I.

Daniel Robbins, RAL Space, Remote Sensing Scientist

Michael Schulz, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Senior Scientist
Michael Schulz is Deputy Head of Climate Modelling and Air Pollution at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and Adjunct Professor at MetOs UiO Geosciences. He focuses on atmospheric science, climate forcing, feedbacks, and aerosol physics in Earth Systems. Schulz advances model development by leading intercomparisons like CMIP6-AerChemMIP and AeroCom and contributes to EU Copernicus CAMS projects. He oversees NorESM development at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and aims to enhance Earth System understanding of near-term climate change. Within the SATACI project, he will integrate satellite-based constraints with NorESM and provide scientific support.

Martin Stengel, Deutscher Wetterdienst,Senior Scientist
Martin Stengel is a Senior Scientist at Deutscher Wetterdienst and he is the Science Leader of the Cloud CCI project. He will lead the Scientific Study II on dust concentration and ice cloud glaciation within Activity I.

Gareth Thomas, RAL Space, Senior Remote Sensing Scientist
Gareth has over 10 years of experience in aerosol and cloud remote sensing from satellites. He develops and uses algorithms, like the ORAC retrieval scheme, to analyze atmospheric aerosols from visible/infrared instruments. He produces large-scale datasets for climate monitoring, air quality, and environmental studies, including for the ESA Climate Change Initiative. Within the SATACI project, he will support the fit-for-purpose exercise, uncertainty characterization, and provide ongoing scientific input.