Juan Torres-Pérez
Research Scientist
Affiliation: NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)
Division: Earth Science Division (SG)
Branch: Biospheric Science Branch (SGE)
Email: juan.l.torresperez@nasa.gov
Phone: 650-604-0915
Professional Bio
Dr. Juan L. Torres-Pérez is a Research Scientist on a 4-yr term civil servant position with the Biospheric Branch of the Earth Science Division at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC). Previously Dr. Torres-Pérez worked as a NASA Postdoctoral Researcher at ARC (2011-2013) and as a Research Scientist with the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI; 2013-2021).
Dr. Torres-Pérez’s major field of study is bio-optical oceanography and spectroscopy as it applies to shallow-water tropical marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs, and in support of the validation of remotely-sensed imagery. He has led several NASA-funded projects (as PI or Science PI) including an interdisciplinary project on Human Impacts to Coastal Ecosystems in PR (HICE-PR), a citizen science project in PR (CoralBASICS) aimed at training local members of the recreational diving community on collection of scientific data for coral reef assessment and remotely-sensed data validation, and the NASA Science Activation Ocean Community Engagement and Awareness using NASA Observations and Science for Hispanic/Latino students (OCEANOS). He is also a Co-I of the award-winning NASA NeMO-Net citizen science project. He has been the science advisor of the NASA DEVELOP since 2014 and a trainer of the NASA ARSET capacity building programs. He has multiple peer-review publications on anthropogenic effects on coral reefs, reef benthic spectral discrimination, and is a co-editor and author of a book on the invertebrate fauna of Puerto Rico.
Dr. Torres-Pérez has been an active member of the US Coral Reef Task Force since 2013 and a member of the American Geophysical Union and the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography. In October 2021, Dr. Torres-Pérez was declared a Preferred Citizen of Mayaguez, his hometown in Puerto Rico, in recognition of his contributions to oceanography and Sciencem Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in PR and Latin America.
Education
PhD – Biological Oceanography, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences
MSc – Geological Oceanography, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences
BS – Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Biology
Research Interests
Tropical coastal marine ecosystems ecology, spectroscopy as a tool for discrimination of benthic features, STEM education, remote sensing of coastal ecosystems and water quality
Awards & Honors
- 2021 – Named Preferred Son of the City of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico for the contributions to the field of Oceanography and facilitating the education of Hispanic/Latino students in PR and elsewhere.
- 2019 – NASA Group Achievement Award for the NeMO-Net Field Campaign
- 2019 – NASA ARSET Capacity Building Program for Outstanding Support of Spanish Trainings
- 2018 – NASA Group Achievement Award for the C-HARRIER Mission Team
- 2016 NASA Group Achievement Award for the UCSC-ARC HyspIRI Team
- 2012 NASA Group Achievement Award for the Coastal and Ocean Airborne Science Testbed (HOPE-COAST 2011)
- 2011-2013 – NASA Postdoctoral Program: Ames Research Center
- 2002-2003 – Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Fellowship
- 2001-2002 – Puerto Rico Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education Fellowship (National Science Foundation)
- 2000-2001 – American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Minorities Program
- 1999-2001 – NASA & UPR’s TCESS Graduate Assistantship Participant
- 1999 – Internship: US Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experimental Station, Vicksburg, MS.
- 1995-1997 – NASA (John C. Stennis Space Center) Minorities Fellowships Program
Select Publications
Fraiola, K.M.S., T. Miura, J. Martinez, K.H. Lopes, F. Amidon, J. Torres-Pérez, H.L. Spalding, T. Williams, K. So, E. Sachs, and R.K. Kosaki. 2022. Using commercial high-resolution satellite imagery to monitor a nuisance macroalga in the largest marine protected area in the USA. Coral Reefs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-022-02336-6
Torres-Pérez, J.L., C.E. Ramos-Scharrón, W.J. Hernández, R.A. Armstrong, M. Barreto-Orta, J. Ortiz-Zayas, L.S. Guild, and R. Viqueira. 2021. River streamflow, remotely sensed water quality, and benthic composition of previously undescribed nearshore coral reefs in northern Puerto Rico. Frontiers in Marine Science. 8: 720712. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.720712.
Van Den Bergh, J., V. Chirayath, A. Li, J Torres-Pérez, and M. Segal-Rozenhaimer. 2021. NeMO-Net – Gamifying 3D labeling of multi-modal reference datasets to support automated marine habitat mapping. Front. Mar. Sci. 8:645408. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.645408
Cawse-Nicholson, K., P.A. Towsend, …, L.S. Guild, … J.L. Torres-Pérez, the SBG Algorithms Working Group. 2021. NASA’s surface biology and geology designated observable: A perspective on surface imaging algorithms. Rem. Sens. Environ. 257: 112349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112349
Li, A., V. Chirayath, M. Segal-Rozenhaimer, J.L. Torres-Pérez, and J. van den Bergh. 2020. NASA’s NeMO-Net convolutional neural network: Mapping marine habitats with spectrally heterogeneous remote sensing imagery. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing. 13: 5115-5132.
Chirayath, V., A. Li, J. Torres-Pérez, M. Segal-Rozenhaimer, and J. van den Bergh. 2020. NASA NeMO-Net – A neural multimodal observation and training network for marine ecosystem mapping at diverse spatiotemporal scales. IEEE IGARSS 2020.
Torres-Pérez, J.L., L.S. Guild, R.A. Armstrong, J.E. Corredor, A. Zuluaga-Montero, and R Polanco. 2015. Relative pigment composition and remote sensing reflectance of Caribbean shallow-water corals. PLoS ONE. 10(11): e0143709. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0143709.
Palacios, S.L., R.M Kudela, L.S. Guild, K.H. Negrey, J. Torres-Pérez, and J. Broughton. 2015. Remote sensing of phytoplankton functional types in the coastal ocean from the HyspIRI Preparatory Flight Campaign. Remote Sensing Environ. 167: 269-280.
Kudela, R.M., S.L. Palacios, D.C. Austerberry, E.K. Accorsi, L.S. Guild, and J. Torres-Pérez. 2015. Application of hyperspectral remote sensing to cyanobacterial blooms in inland waters. Remote Sensing Environ. 167: 196-205.
Torres-Pérez, J.L., L.S. Guild and R.A. Armstrong. 2012. Hyperspectral distinction of two Caribbean shallow-water corals based on their pigments and corresponding reflectance. Remote Sensing. 4: 3813-3832.
Torres-Pérez, J.L. and R.A. Armstrong. 2012. Effects of UV radiation on the growth, photosynthetic and photoprotective compounds, and reproduction of the Caribbean shallow-water coral Porites furcata. Coral Reefs. 31: 1077-1091.