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" Adventure is a path. Real adventure, self-determined, self-motivated, often risky, forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. "

— Mark Jenkins

About

Edil A. Sepúlveda Carlo

NASA Earth Scientist

Avid traveler living between Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. At NASA, he works on Earth Science missions connecting satellite and scientific data to real-world applications on disaster recovery, resilience, and environmental justice.

He is currently a senior research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, where he acts as the Deputy Project Manager for Science Strategy & Engagement at NASA’s Atmospheric Composition Program.

Edil is also the Stakeholder Engagement Lead for NASA’s Black Marble, a premier high-resolution, daily global satellite imagery product that captures Earth at night, isolating artificial light emissions from human settlements, infrastructure, gas flares, and wildfires. His work portfolio includes coordination and stakeholder engagement for multi-agency airborne missions on GHG monitoring and air quality; industry and private sector engagement; and science applications work on projects related to modeling, energy, disasters, climate, amongst other topics. 

Contact
  • Environmental Attorney 
  • Community Advocate
  • Geologist
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B.S.  in Geology from the University of  Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law
Master’s degree in Climate & Society with an Energy & Environmental Policy Concentration from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Areas of Expertise

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Climate, Carbon & Energy

  • Carbon Science

  • GHG Monitoring

  • Climate Resilience

  • Energy Policy

Policy, Justice & Public Affairs

  • Equity & Environmental Justice

  • Government Affairs

  • Community Advocacy

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Program, Project & Operations

  • Program Management

  • Project Management

  • Mission Planning, Operations, and Systems Development

  • Travel Planning

  • Expedition Coordination

Geospatial, Risk & Disaster

  • Geospatial Applications

  • Disaster Preparedness & Response

  • Disaster Risk Reduction

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 Communication & Education

  • Stakeholder Engagement & Outreach

  • Science Communication

  • Science Advocacy & Diplomacy

  • Workshop Facilitator

  • Science Education

Environment & Conservation

  • Forestry & Conservation

  • Environmental Law & Policy

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Featured projects

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NASA Black Marble
Stakeholder Engagement Lead

 Edil is currently the Stakeholder Engagement Lead for NASA’s Black Marble Mission, is a groundbreaking nighttime lights product suite, which uses specialized day/night band sensors, stripping away interference from clouds, atmospheric effects, and moonlight to provide a clear, high-resolution views of Earth at night.

Deputy Program Manager

Edil was the Deputy Program Manager for NASA’s Equity and Environmental Justice (EEJ) program, housed within its Earth Science Division (ESD), and which utilizes global satellite data and Earth observations to help historically underserved and polluted communities. The program funded research, citizen science projects, and geospatial tool development that connect socioeconomic data with physical environmental hazards.

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NASA’s Environmental Justice Program
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U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center
Project Manager

 Edil is the Project Manager for Science Integration & Engagement for the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center, a federal government multi-agency effort consolidating greenhouse gas (GHG) information from observations and models. Scientific experts from NASA, EPA, NIST, and NOAA worked together to curate a catalog of GHG datasets and analysis tools. The goal of the office is to better understand GHG fluxes and emissions from natural and human-caused sources. The US GHG Center helps researchers, climate change mitigation practitioners, policymakers, data service providers, and concerned citizens understand GHG datasets and put them to use.

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SITEs
Founder / Project Leader

Edil is leading a unique entrepreneurship project called Science Immersive Travel Experiences or SITEs, which will offer science-led luxury explorations around Planet Earth for travelers who seek depth, access, and meaning in the places they visit. These carefully curated  journeys will be shaped by scientific insight and a deep respect for how landscapes are protected and sustained. Stay tuned for more details and the announcement of our pilot trip in 2027.

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PR Self-Determination Project Advocacy Campaign
More Information Coming Soon...

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Career Highlights

  • Edil served as Deputy Program Manager in NASA’s Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters, where he coordinated the Climate Resilience & Community Action Program, including NASA’s Climate Resilience and Equity & Environmental Justice efforts. Previously, he spent over eight years as a Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, working on NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System Initiative and co-chairing the NASA–USDA Forest Service Applied Earth Observations Innovation Partnership. Across these roles, he connected scientists, agencies, NGOs, academia, and the private sector to apply Earth observation data in decision-making, climate resilience, carbon monitoring, and environmental justice
  • He was also part of NASA's Black Marble Science Team, which was awarded NASA's Group Achievement Medal in 2018 for their efforts to support Puerto Rico’s recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The team developed the first ever near-real time monitoring of power outage-affected areas in Puerto Rico at neighborhood scales using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) “day-night band” on board the Suomi NPP satellite. 
  • He contributes to the NASA in Spanish Program and is a frequent speaker on climate science topics for major Spanish language networks in the United States like Telemundo and Univision, and other media in Latin America and Spain.
  • He has provided support to the applications efforts of other NASA’s Earth Science Division missions, such as Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2); the Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE); and the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission.
  • He was an Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar in 2019.
  • Before working at NASA, Edil was a consultant in climate change and environmental legal issues for the Government of Puerto Rico. 
Connect with edil
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