Aakash Chhabra
NASA Postdoctoral Fellow, NASA Earth eXchange (NEX)
Branch: Biospheric Science Branch (SGE)
Email: aakash.chhabra@nasa.gov
Bio
Dr. Aakash Chhabra possesses over 8 years of experience in the Earth Observation and GIS sector, including fieldwork, laboratory research, consulting, and engineering. Aakash is currently a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA Ames, where he focuses on remote sensing of forest dynamics. Building upon his PhD work, Aakash utilizes optical and microwave remote sensing data to estimate and map above-ground forest structure, biomass, and changes driven by anthropogenic and climate forcing. Through this research, he aims to enhance biomass quantification and understand ecosystems’ short-term and long-term responses to climate change. Prior to joining, he earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Monash University in 2024. His doctoral research focused on improving Australia’s ability to plan for and respond to bushfire risks by developing new capabilities in the use of satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in synthesis with the optical imagery. Aakash’s research interests lie in the application of satellite- and airborne remote-sensing, along with in situ measurements, to study various disturbances affecting terrestrial ecosystems and the carbon cycle.
Education
Ph.D., 2024, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
M.Tech., 2016, Department of Civil Engineering, SRM University, Chennai, India
B.Tech., 2011, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Jaypee University, Solan, India
Experience
2024 – Present: NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellow, NASA Ames Research Center, USA
2024 – 2024: Experimental Scientist, CSIRO, AU
2019 – 2024: Graduate Research Associate, Monash University, AU
2016 – 2019: Senior Research Fellow (SRF), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Government of India, IND
2013 – 2014: GIS Consultant, The Big Chill Café, IND
2011 – 2013: Ericsson India Global Services, IND
Projects
2024 – Present: Remote sensing applications for mapping and monitoring global forest carbon stock and dynamics
2016 – 2019: National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA)
Awards and Honors
2024: NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellowship
2023: Graduate Research Completion Award (GRCA)
2023: Australian Space Awards – Academic of the Year (Finalist)
2022: Best Speaker Award
2022: Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Award – SSSI Postgraduate Student Award
2019: Best Poster at Civil Postgrad Conference Competition
2019: Co-funded Monash Graduate Scholarship (CF-MGS)
2016: Gold Medal – Secured 1st Rank in Master’s
2016: Best Thesis Award (1st Prize)
Publications
Chhabra, A., Rüdiger, C., Yebra, M., Jagdhuber, T. and Hilton, J., 2022. RADAR-vegetation structural perpendicular index (R-VSPI) for the quantification of wildfire impact and post-fire vegetation recovery. Remote Sensing, 14(13), p.3132.