Thorsten Markus is the program manager for Cryospheric Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was head of NASA Goddard’s Cryospheric Sciences Lab and the Project Scientist for the ICESat-2 mission. 

Thorsten was first drawn to cryosphere science as an undergraduate student, when he went on a research cruise to Antarctica and saw its phenomenal icy ecosystems with seals, penguins and more. He is also the Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory chief at Goddard, and outside of work is in a band with several other lab scientists, sails and plays tennis.