Dr. Shoken Ishii is a Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Tokyo Metropolitan University, where he leads the Aerospace Fundamental Sensing Laboratory. Since 2020, he has spearheaded research within the Faculty of System Design, focusing on the strategic integration of optical sensing and optical communications for aerospace applications. His work specializes in the research and development of wind lidars, including feasibility studies for space-based Doppler Wind Lidar and the validation of the ESA Aeolus mission. Since earning his Ph.D. from Nagoya University in 2001, Dr. Ishii has consistently driven innovation in the field of optical engineering. Beyond the laboratory, he holds a leadership role as a Director of the Laser Radar Society of Japan (LRSJ). His global influence is further reflected in his service on the Advisory Board for the Coherent Laser Radar Conference (CLRC) since 2018, as well as his tenure as a member of the International Committee for Laser Atmospheric Studies (ICLAS) from 2017 to 2024.

Nobuo Sugimoto currently is a visiting researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) of Japan. He received a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Engineering from Osaka University, and received his Ph.D. in Science from the University of Tokyo in 1985. His achievements at NIES include the development of a stratospheric ozone lidar; laser long-path absorption experiments for trace gas measurements; the construction of the aerosol lidar network in East Asia (AD-Net). His recent work focuses on the validation of EarthCARE ATLID using AD-Net.

Hiroaki Kuze is currently a professor emeritus at Chiba University in Japan. He received his Dr.Sc. degree in physics from the University of Tokyo in 1982. After working at Shizuoka University, he began studying remote sensing at the newly established research center, CEReS (the Center for Environmental Remote Sensing) at Chiba University. He served as the director of CEReS from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2020. From 2014 to 2016, he served as president of the Remote Sensing Society of Japan (RSSJ). His achievements at CEReS include publications on the topic of optical remote sensing of the atmospheric environment, including lidar observations of aerosols in relation to in situ and satellite observations.

Scott Spuler is a Senior Engineering Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. He has over 20 years of experience in the design and development of lidar instrumentation for atmospheric research. His work in lidar engineering covers a range of techniques, including the development of volume-imaging aerosol lidar and airborne Doppler lidar for wind measurement. His recent research focuses on the advancement of Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) and High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) techniques. He has specifically led the development of micro-pulse, diode-laser-based architectures designed for autonomous, continuous profiling of water vapor, temperature, and aerosols. Spuler’s work centers on transitioning complex laser-based remote sensors into robust, high-duty-cycle instruments for long-term field observations.

Andreas Behrendt is presently an Akademischer Oberrat (associate professor) at the University of Hohenheim, Institute of Physics and Meteorology in Stuttgart, Germany. There, he serves as head of the remote sensing group. He is also the co-founder and CEO of Purple Pulse Lidar Systems, the first company to sell a lidar system which exceeds the WMO breakthrough requirements for water-vapor and temperature measurements in the lower troposphere. Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hohenheim, a postdoctoral researcher at the Radio Atmospheric Science Center for Space and Atmosphere at Kyoto University, Japan, and a researcher at the GKSS Research Center in Geesthacht, Germany. Dr. Behrendt received his Doctoral degree in natural sciences and his Diploma degree in physics both from the University of Hamburg, Germany.