The Earth Fire Alliance has hired NASA’s Wildland Fire Program Manager Dr Michael Falkowski to be its first Lead Scientist.

Earth Fire Alliance is a global nonprofit coalition intent on delivering transformative data and insights from all wildfires around the world.

Dr Falkowski was NASA’s Program Manager for the Wildland Fire Program and led the FireSense project, overseeing an annual budget of around $20 million. In that role, he set strategic priorities for NASA’s wildland fire portfolio, led multidisciplinary teams, and spearheaded national and interagency efforts to advance fire science, data, and technology innovation.

As the alliance’s first Lead Scientist, Dr Falkowski will guide the ambitious research to operations strategy to address wildfire challenges on a global scale.

“I’m honored to join Earth Fire Alliance and contribute to its mission of transforming how the world understands and responds to wildfire,” said Dr Falkowski in a statement from the alliance.

“This is a unique opportunity to unite international science, space-based technology, and real-world operations to build wildfire resilience at the scale this accelerating global challenge demands.”

At NASA, Dr. Falkowski facilitated the development of wildland fire science and technology to drive actionable outcomes for fire management and resilience.

Before his time at NASA, Dr Falkowski worked in remote sensing and ecosystem science as a professor at Colorado State University, University of Minnesota, and Michigan Technological University. He also served as a wildland firefighter and state and tribal natural resource management specialist,

EFA Executive Director Brian Collins, in the alliance statement, said Dr Falkowski had a blend of scientific rigor and operational experience. “He brings a deep understanding of how to translate research into real-world impact—an essential quality as we scale the FireSat program, expand global partnerships, and deploy new programs.”

Earth Fire Alliance is a nonprofit founded with the stated aim of transforming how the world observes and responds to wildfire. Its partners include Google, Minderoo Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund and Muon Space.

Through its FireSat program – a purpose-built satellite constellation designed to detect and monitor every wildfire on Earth in near real time – it aims to deliver unprecedented insights into wildfire behavior and impacts.