Published on Thursday, 23 July 2026 14:14

From June 15 to July 3, 2026, Dr. Masanori Saito, an associate professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Wyoming (United States), was a visiting scholar at LISA at the invitation of the University of Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC).

 

A recognized expert in atmospheric physics and climate, Dr. Saito is an international authority in the fields of radiative transfer, remote sensing of clouds and aerosols, and the study of the optical properties of non-spherical atmospheric particles. In particular, he founded TAMUdust2020 (https://github.com/masasaito/TAMUdust2020), an open-access reference database on the optical properties of desert dust that is widely used by the scientific community.

 

During his visit, Dr. Saito collaborated with researchers at LISA to improve the representation of the optical properties of desert aerosols, particularly by taking their morphology into account when evaluating their complex refractive index. This work will help enhance the accuracy of satellite remote sensing algorithms and improve the realism of climate models.

 

Masanori Saito and Juan Cuesta during the master classes for students at the Île-de-France Space Academy, held during his research stay at LISA.

 

 

Dr. Saito also led a series of masterclasses on atmospheric remote sensing for students at the Île-de-France Space Academy. These sessions provided an overview of the principles of remote sensing, current observation systems, and the challenges of future space missions, as applied to meteorology and the study of atmospheric composition.

 

Finally, on July 2, he gave a seminar open to the entire laboratory, titled “Mineral Dust Optics and Remote Sensing.” This presentation, followed by a particularly insightful question-and-answer session, sparked numerous scientific discussions about the optical properties of mineral dust and its observation by satellite.

 

 

A big thank you to Dr. Masanori Saito for sharing his expertise and for the quality of these scientific discussions!

 

 

 (Left) Masanori Saito presents his seminar on July 2, 2026, during his research visit to LISA as a guest of the University of Paris Est Créteil. (Right) Paola Formenti, Masanori Saito, and Claudia Di Biagio at LISA during Dr. Saito’s visit.