Research Summary

PhD candidate in Environmental Science & Engineering at Harvard developing inverse modeling systems to quantify methane emissions from satellite observations. Combines atmospheric science, data science, and scientific software engineering to build widely used tools for emissions monitoring.

Education

Harvard University
PhD Candidate, Environmental Science & Engineering; Secondary Field in Data Science
Cambridge, MA | 2022-2027 (expected)

Williams College
B.A. in Geoscience & Computer Science; Varsity XC and Track
Williamstown, MA | 2015-2019

Selected Publications

  • Estrada, L. A., Jacob, D. J., He, M., East, J. D., Varon, D. J., Balasus, N., Hancock, S. E., Sulprizio, M., Bowman, K. W., Worden, J. R., Reidy, E., and Runkle, B. R. K. Quantifying national, state, and oil/gas field methane emissions and trends in the U.S. (2019-2024) through high resolution inversion of satellite observations. EGUsphere [preprint], 2026. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-655
  • Estrada, L. A., Varon, D. J., Sulprizio, M., Nesser, H., Chen, Z., Balasus, N., Hancock, S. E., He, M., East, J. D., Mooring, T. A., Oort Alonso, A., Maasakkers, J. D., Aben, I., Baray, S., Bowman, K. W., Worden, J. R., Cardoso-Saldana, F. J., Reidy, E., and Jacob, D. J. Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) 2.0: an improved research and stakeholder tool for monitoring total methane emissions with high resolution worldwide using TROPOMI satellite observations. Geoscientific Model Development, 18, 3311-3330, 2025. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-3311-2025

Relevant Experience

PhD Candidate, Harvard University
Cambridge, MA | Sept 2022-Present
Advised by Dr. Daniel Jacob and Dr. Daniel Varon

  • Develop inverse modeling frameworks to quantify methane emissions from TROPOMI satellite observations
  • Lead development of the Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI), a cloud-based platform used by 100+ researchers worldwide
  • Design machine learning emulators of chemical transport models to accelerate large-scale inversion workflows
  • Build open-source scientific software that improves accessibility, reproducibility, and operational scalability in greenhouse gas research

Scientific Programmer, GEOS-Chem Support Team, Harvard University
Cambridge, MA | 2021-Aug 2022
Supervised by Dr. Daniel Jacob

  • Built prototype methane inversion system forming the foundation for IMI
  • Extended GEOS-Chem cloud capabilities, improving scalability and lowering barriers to use for the research community
  • Contributed to model infrastructure, including GCPy analysis tools and the KPP chemical solver
  • Supported research groups with advanced modeling workflows and technical troubleshooting

Software Engineer, Nevo Technologies
2020-Aug 2021

  • Developed and deployed cloud-native applications using a variety of AWS services
  • Built pipelines processing big data across distributed systems
  • Worked across the full stack using TypeScript and .NET in agile development environments

Research Intern, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
Summer 2019
Supervised by Dr. Kasey Aderhold

  • Analyzed seismic noise to study Alaskan sea ice dynamics using statistical modeling
  • Developed Python and Matlab pipelines for real-time data ingestion via the IRIS API

Research Assistant, Williams College
Summer 2018
Supervised by Dr. Phoebe Cohen

  • Investigated End-Devonian mass extinction using microfossil and geochemical data
  • Built Python tools integrating Macrostrat and Paleobiology databases

Crew, Appalachian Mountain Club Cold River Camp
Chatham, NH | Summer 2017

  • Lived and worked with colleagues in a team-oriented, fast-paced environment
  • Maintained buildings and grounds, served on waitstaff, and ensured guest satisfaction

Technical Skills

Programming: Python, TypeScript, C/C++, Fortran, SQL
Cloud & DevOps: AWS (Lambda, ECS, RDS, Step Functions, Batch), Docker, Terraform
Scientific Computing: GEOS-Chem, inverse modeling, numerical methods
Other: Git, CI/CD, Linux

Conferences and Talks

  • AGU 2025: Quantifying U.S. methane emission trends (2019-2024)
  • MIT Mites STEM Talk 2025: Research and career talk for 200+ students
  • EGU 2025: Quantifying U.S. methane emission trends (2019-2024)
  • AGU 2023: Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) 2.0
  • GEOS-Chem Conference 2022: IMI 1.0 platform
  • AGU 2019: Sea ice modulation of seismic noise
  • GSA 2018: End-Devonian extinction analysis

Service and Leadership

Summer School for Inverse Modeling of Greenhouse Gases, Teaching Assistant
Summer 2025

  • Supported students with inverse modeling concepts and coding workflows

Undergraduate Research Mentor
Summer 2024-Present

  • Supervised multiple undergraduate projects on methane emissions in India and the Appalachian Basin

SKATERS Organizer
Fall 2024-Present

  • Help organize a community of early-career scientists focused on inverse modeling, collaboration, and peer support

Atmospheric Chemistry Teaching Assistant
Spring 2024

  • Led sections, taught problem-solving, and graded coursework

Stanford Code in Place, Co-section Leader
Spring 2020

  • Taught a virtual programming course during COVID-19

Purple Bike Coalition, President, Treasurer, Mechanic
Williams College | 2016-2019

  • Managed shop budget, trained and hired mechanics, and organized work schedules

Geoscience 101, Williams College, Teaching Assistant
2019

  • Assisted 30+ students in lab and answered questions related to lectures and course materials
  • Reviewed and graded student lab work

Williams College, Varsity Track Captain
2018-2019

  • Organized team events, promoted positive culture, and communicated with coaches

Projects

Integrated Methane Inversion
2021-Ongoing

  • Developed a cloud-based system for estimating methane emissions via satellite inversion (TROPOMI)
  • Architected AWS workflows enabling large-scale analysis without local data processing
  • Designed for accessibility to non-experts; adopted by 100+ scientists worldwide
  • Supports continuous, high-resolution emissions monitoring; version 2.0 released
  • Extending the platform toward near-real-time methane emissions monitoring

IHM Insights
2020

  • Built a cloud-based system ingesting electronic health records from 50+ hospitals into PostgreSQL on AWS
  • Implemented distributed pipelines using AWS Glue (PySpark), Lambda, and Step Functions

Acushnet Artworks
2021

  • Developed a serverless web application using Angular and .NET Core, deployed via AWS ECS
  • Led DevOps setup and contributed across frontend and backend