Uta Heiden

Uta Heiden is a seasoned professional in the field of remote sensing and geoscience, with extensive experience in leading projects and research initiatives. Uta serves as the Head of the Terrestrial Remote Sensing Group and the DESIS Mission Science Coordinator at Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V. since January 2025, while also heading the DLR Team "Spectroscopy and Land Degradation." Previous experience includes a role as a Research Scientist at the Applied Spectroscopy Team within DLR from October 2004 to February 2013, where Uta contributed to the German spaceborne hyperspectral mission EnMAP and urban imaging spectroscopy projects, along with developing spectral libraries and methods for land cover classification. Uta began the career as a Research Scientist at Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam - Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ in early 2004, focusing on urban hyperspectral image analysis and project development. Uta holds a Diploma in Geoecology from Universität Potsdam, a Ph.D. in Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Urban Areas from Technische Universität Berlin, and is currently pursuing studies in Geomorphology at Bar-Ilan University.