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tapley@csr.utexas.edu
512-471-5573
Office Location: WPR 2.6062
Byron D. Tapley
Professor Emeritus
Clare Cockrell Williams Centennial Chair Emeritus in Engineering
Department Research Areas:
Orbital Mechanics
Education:
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Research Interests:
- Orbital Mechanics
- Satellite Orbit Determination
- Satellite geodesy and Remote Sensing
Dr. Tapley's research focuses on the application of satellite remote-sensed observations and numerical computation approaches to contemporary problems in oceanography, geodesy and navigation. He has served on the Cockrell School of Engineering faculty since 1960 and served as departmental chair from 1966 to 1977. He has two years of industrial experience and has published more than 100 technical articles. Dr. Tapley is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has received numerous national medals and awards. In 1998, he received the Doctor Honoris Causa from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Currently, he is the Principal Investigator responsible for the Gravity Research and Climate Experiment (GRACE); the first NASA Earth System Pathfinder mission to become operational.
