Presenting PhD fellow Martine Espeseth
Martine Mostervik Espeseth (25) started her PhD in CIRFA WP3 in December 2015, and will spend the next four years doing research on oil spill detection and characterisation using SAR. Her main focus will be on compact polarimetric data.
Why did you want to do a PhD on this topic?
I did my Master’s degree at UiT on the same topic. After finishing my Master’s thesis, I was curious to know more about this field. I knew that I was far from done with this topic and ultimately chose it as my main area of interest.
Why is your research important and how can it be used operationally?
To find good and efficient ways of detecting and characterising various oil types in different conditions is an important task, both for industry and for the environment. My research can improve the process of detecting and understanding oil slicks in SAR data. This might help decrease the response time when an oil spill occurs, and result in better decision-making.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently on an exchange at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) working with the UAVSAR time series collected during NORSE2015. I compare different parameters that may be useful for oil spill detection and classification, including how they change as the slick properties vary over time.
What is your goal for your PhD, what do you hope to achieve?
My main goals and hopes are to acquire new academic skills, as well as increasing connections with people from the industry and academia. I also want my research to be a contribution to the remote sensing field.
What are you looking forward to in 2016?
I am looking forward to just being here, acquiring new skills and talking to the people around JPL. To be at JPL is an incredible experience, and I feel really privileged to be here. I’m also looking forward to submitting my first journal paper, and to starting to teach students when back at UiT.
