Scott Staniewicz

scottstaniewicz.com

[email protected]

Github: scottstanie

Education

University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, GPA: 3.97/4.0 (August 2022)

Tufts University, Medford, MA

B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, Summa Cum Laude (May 2013)

Research and Work Experience

Capella Space / IonQ, Louisville, CO / San Francisco, CA

Staff Radar Engineer (10/2025 – present)

Oversaw product launch and application development of first commercial InSAR offering.
Developed real-time/onboard GPU-compatible SAR and InSAR algorithms.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Signal Analysis Engineer (06/2022 – 10/2025)

Led the Algorithm Development Team for the OPERA Sentinel-1 North American Surface Displacement product, the largest public InSAR-derived ground displacement data set.
Architected and deployed scalable cloud infrastructure using AWS Batch to process hundreds of terabytes of Sentinel-1 SAR data, enabling automated InSAR time series analysis across North America with robust production-ready software.
Managed cross-functional collaboration between Algorithm Development, Project Science, and Software Data System teams while directing 6 team members, overseeing multi-product budgets, and ensuring on-time delivery of project milestones.

Dept. of Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Mechanics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Graduate Research Assistant, Radar Interferometry Group (09/2017 – 08/2022)

Generated a new surface deformation data set with millimeter-level accuracy and 100-meter spatial resolution over the entirety of West Texas.
Developed a new method for mitigating atmospheric noise in Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data.
Created a computer vision algorithm for automatic detection of InSAR surface deformation signals.
Implemented open source tools in Python and Julia for InSAR data processing.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Summer Internship Program (SIP) Intern (05/2021 – 09/2021)

Analyzed radar acquisition modes for the upcoming NISAR mission using UAVSAR data simulations.
Quantified impact on InSAR-derived subsidence, flooding, and infrastructure monitoring applications.
Developed and optimized open-source processing chain for future NISAR data products.

Cogo Labs, Cambridge, MA

Development Manager, Senior Quantitative Analyst (06/2014 – 06/2017)

Architected Python codebase for marketing campaigns generating $700k+ in monthly revenue.
Managed team of 6, developed team strategy with CEO and executive board.
Analyzed large-scale (10s of TB) datasets in SQL, Spark, and MapReduce.

The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA

Electrical Engineer (07/2013 – 05/2014)

Created algorithms to combine multiple sensors using Kalman filtering for robust navigation.
Published two technical reports on signal processing features of GPS receivers.
Designed experiments to test robustness of GNSS equipment under varying interference conditions.

Technical Skills

Programming

Python, C++, Rust, SQL, Julia, JavaScript, AWS cloud computing, JAX, PyTorch, Spark

Domain expertise

Synthetic aperture radar and interferometric synthetic aperture radar, global navigation satellite systems, digital signal processing, optimization theory, deep learning, computer vision, large-scale geospatial data processing

Teaching Experience

EarthScope Technical Short Courses, Virtual

Advanced InSAR Time Series Processing and Analysis (ISCE+) (August 2025, 2026)

Dept. of Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Mechanics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

ASE 389 P.10 Fundamentals and Geophysical Application of Imaging Radar Systems (Spring 2021)

Dept. of Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Mechanics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

COE 301: Introduction to Computer Programming (Springs 2017, 2018, 2019)

Honors and Awards

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Honorable Mention, 2019
University of Texas Graduate Continuing Fellowship, 2020-2021
Warren A., Alice L. Meyer/M. J. Thompson Endowed Scholarships for Aerospace Eng., 2019-2020
University of Texas GAIN Gold Level Research Award, 2019
SXSW SpaceCRAFT Autonomous Navigation/Exploration Challenge, 2nd place, 2019
Harry Poole Burden Prize, 2013
Capital One Baseball Academic All-America, Division III First Team, 2013
Adrian Misic Prize Fund, 2013

Publications and Presentations

10 journal articles (5 first-author); 5 conference papers (3 first-author); 20 conference presentations and abstracts (11 first-author).

Journal Articles

Hänsch, R., Persello, C., Verma, U., Taşkin, G., Lunga, D., Staniewicz, S., … & De, S. (2026). 2026 IEEE GRSS Data Fusion Contest: Synthetic Aperture Radar Temporal Storytelling [Technical Committees]. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine, 14(4), 282-287.
Staniewicz, S., Mirzaee, S., Fattahi, H., Oliver-Cabrera, T., Havazli, E., Gunter, G., … & Bekaert, D. (2026). Near-real-time InSAR phase estimation for large-scale surface displacement monitoring. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.
Staniewicz, S., Gunter, G., Mirzaee, S., Govorcin, M., Oliver-Cabrera, T., & Fattahi, H. (2026). A Probabilistic-Cost Algorithm for Large-Scale 2D Phase Unwrapping. In prep.
Buzzanga, B., Govorcin, M., Kremer, F., Schubert, J. E., Bekaert, D. P. S., Schaeffer, B., … & Staniewicz, S. (2025). Satellite-based vertical land motion for infrastructure monitoring: a prototype roadmap in Greater Houston, Texas. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-12.
Staniewicz, S. J., & Chen, J. (2025). Automatic detection of InSAR deformation and tropospheric noise features using computer vision: A case study over West Texas. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 130(7), e2024JB029614.
Staniewicz, S. J., Mirzaee, S., Gunter, G. M., Oliver-Cabrera, T., Havazli, E., & Fattahi, H. (2024). Dolphin: A Python package for large-scale InSAR PS/DS processing. Journal of Open Source Software, 9(103), 6997.
Hennings, P., Staniewicz, S., Smye, K., Chen, J., Horne, E., Nicot, J. P., Ge, J., Reedy, R., & Scanlon, B. (2023). Development of complex patterns of anthropogenic uplift and subsidence in the Delaware Basin of West Texas and southeast New Mexico, USA. Science of The Total Environment, 903, 166367.
Lee, H. P., Staniewicz, S., Chen, J., Hennings, P., & Olson, J. E. (2023). Subsurface deformation monitoring with InSAR and elastic inversion modeling in west Texas. Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 231, 212299.
Horne, E. A., Hennings, P. H., Smye, K. M., Staniewicz, S., Chen, J., & Savvaidis, A. (2022). Structural characteristics of shallow faults in the Delaware Basin. Interpretation, 10(4), T807-T835.
Staniewicz, S., Chen, J., Lee, H., Olson, J., Savvaidis, A., Reedy, R., Breton, C., Rathje, E., & Hennings, P. (2020). InSAR reveals complex surface deformation patterns over an 80,000 km² oil-producing region in the Permian Basin. Geophysical Research Letters, 47(21), e2020GL090151.

Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers

Stringham, C., Staniewicz, S. J., De, S., & Farquharson, G. (2026). Capella InSAR Constellation Performance: One Year of Mid-Inclination Operations and Validation. EUSAR 2026: 16th European Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar.
Zebker, M., Chen, J., Staniewicz, S., Smye, K., & Hennings, P. (2024). Links Between Fluid Injection/Production and Surface Deformation: A Scalable InSAR Processing Strategy Applied to Three Texas Basins. IGARSS 2024 - IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (pp. 11095-11098). https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS53475.2024.10640744
Staniewicz, S., & Chen, J. (2021). Automatic Detection of InSAR Deformation Signals Using a Realistic Tropospheric Turbulence Noise Model. IGARSS 2021 - IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (pp. 2667-2670). https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS47720.2021.9554731
Staniewicz, S., & Chen, J. (2020). Accurate InSAR Surface Deformation Mapping Over the Oil-Producing Permian Basin With Automated Tropospheric Outlier Removal. IGARSS 2020 - IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (pp. 6790-6793). Virtual. https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS39084.2020.9323893
Staniewicz, S., Chen, J., Rathje, E., & Olson, J. (2019). Automatic detection of InSAR deformation signals associated with hydrocarbon production and wastewater injection using Laplacian of Gaussian filtering. IGARSS 2019 - IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (pp. 433-436). Yokohama, Japan. https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2019.8898725

Conference Presentations and Abstracts

Bekaert, D., Govorcin, M., Buzzanga, B., Sangha, S., Handwerger, A., Staniewicz, S., … & Maurer, J. (2026). Surface Displacement Monitoring for Natural and Anthropogenic Hazard Applications: From Tectonics to Urban Subsidence. Copernicus Meetings, Abstract EGU26-22006.
Staniewicz, S., Stringham, C., Muellerschoen, R., De, S., & Farquharson, G. (2026). Operational High-Cadence, Mid-Inclination X-Band InSAR from Capella’s Constellation: Two Years of Displacement Monitoring Results. Fringe Workshop 2026. Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
Bekaert, D., Staniewicz, S., Bato, M. G., Agram, P., … (2025). Free and Open-Access OPERA Surface Motion Data over North America: A Geohazard Perspective. Living Planet Symposium. Vienna, Austria.
Williams, F., Bekaert, D., Anderson, A., … & Staniewicz, S. (2025). ASF’s Displacement Portal: Enhancing Access to the OPERA-DISP Dataset. Living Planet Symposium. Vienna, Austria.
Joshil, S., Lavalle, M., Seker, I., Loria, E., & Staniewicz, S. J. (2024). Tomographic SAR Simulation Studies for Mapping Three-Dimensional Vegetation Structure and Underlying Topography. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, Abstract GC51V-0266. Washington, D.C.
Staniewicz, S. J., Fattahi, H., Mirzaee, S., Oliver-Cabrera, T., Gunter, G., & Havazli, E. (2024). Algorithmic advances for the OPERA North American Surface Displacement Product from Sentinel-1 imagery. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, Abstract G33C-04. Washington, D.C.
Fattahi, H., Staniewicz, S. J., Jung, J., Brancato, V., Shiroma, G. H., Jeong, S., & Mirzaee, S. (2023). Monitoring the dynamics of earth surface with the national and global NASA SAR products from NISAR and Sentinel-1. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, Abstract G21A-01. San Francisco, CA.
Fattahi, H., Gunter, G., Hawkins, B., …, Staniewicz, S. J., … (2023). ISCE3: InSAR Scientific Computing Environment Enhanced Edition. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, Abstract G23C-0488. San Francisco, CA.
Staniewicz, S. J., Fattahi, H., & Mirzaee, S. (2023). Automated Near-Real-Time Estimation of Surface Displacement Over North America Using Sentinel-1. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, Abstract G24B-10. San Francisco, CA.
Staniewicz, S. J., Mirzaee, S., & Fattahi, H. (2023). Near Real Time Estimation of Unbiased Ground Displacement Time-Series With InSAR Big Data. Fringe Workshop 2023. Leeds, UK.
Staniewicz, S. J., Mirzaee, S., & Fattahi, H. (2023). Detecting Persistent and Distributed Scatterer Changes in Geocoded Single Look Complex Images for Near-Real-Time InSAR Processing. Fringe Workshop 2023. Leeds, UK.
Staniewicz, S. J., Mirzaee, S., & Fattahi, H. (2023). Persistent Scatterer Selection for Wide-Area Near-Real-Time InSAR Processing. IGARSS 2023 - IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Pasadena, CA.
Oliver-Cabrera, T., Staniewicz, S. J., & Fattahi, H. (2023). Improvements on phase unwrapping from phase interpolation algorithm. IGARSS 2023 - IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Pasadena, CA.
Jones, C., An, K., & Staniewicz, S. (2022). Hazard assessment with SAR - What to expect from the NISAR mission. Copernicus Meetings, Abstract EGU22-6544. Vienna, Austria / Virtual.
Staniewicz, S. J., Jones, C., & Wang, K. (2021). Evaluating the Impact of NISAR Resolution on Critical Infrastructure Monitoring in California’s Central Valley. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, Abstract H12I-10. New Orleans, LA.
Staniewicz, S. J., & Chen, J. (2021). Quantifying the Probability of False Alarm for Automatically Detected Features in InSAR Deformation Maps. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, Abstract G44A-06. New Orleans, LA.
Staniewicz, S. J., Chen, J., Lee, H., Olson, J. E., Savvaidis, A., & Hennings, P. (2020). Cumulative and Transient Surface Deformation Signals in the Permian Basin. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union. Virtual.
Horne, E., Hennings, P., Savvaidis, A., Morris, A. P., Staniewicz, S. J., & Chen, J. (2020). 3D Structural Analysis and Seismogenic Association in the Central Delaware Basin, West Texas. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union. Virtual.
Staniewicz, S. J., Chen, J., Lee, H., Olson, J. E., Rathje, E., Savvaidis, A., & Hennings, P. (2019). InSAR Reveals Complex Uplift and Subsidence Patterns Over 100,000 km² of Oil Producing Regions in the Permian Basin. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union. San Francisco, CA.
Staniewicz, S. J., Chen, J., Rathje, E., & Olson, J. E. (2018). An Approach for Automatic Detection of InSAR Deformation Signals Associated with Wastewater Injection and Induced Seismic Events. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union. Washington, DC.

Data Products and Technical Documents

Staniewicz, S., Mirzaee, S., & Fattahi, H. (2025). Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document for OPERA Surface Displacement from Sentinel-1 data.
Staniewicz, S. J. (2022). Surface Deformation Mapping and Automatic Feature Detection with InSAR. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas at Austin.
Staniewicz, S., & Chen, J. (2020). InSAR Surface Deformation Data over Permian Basin from Staniewicz et al. (2020), Geophysical Research Letters. Texas Data Repository Dataverse, V6. https://doi.org/10.18738/T8/AVDBOJ

Leadership and Service

Founding member, Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student Organization (AEGSO)
President, Eta Kappa Nu honor society at Tufts University (2013)

Professional Affiliations

IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society, American Geophysical Union, Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi