Carlos Del Castillo

Carlos Del Castillo (born c. 1965) is a scientist who, in 2004, became the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. Del Castillo was the Program Scientist for the Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program at NASA Headquarters, in Washington, D.C. He is currently the Chief of the Ocean Ecology Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Previously, among other things, he was a member of the Senior Professional Staff and Section Supervisor with the Space Department of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Early years

Del Castillo was born in San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico, and raised in Mayaguez. There he received his primary and secondary education. He lived a humble life and spent most of his youth on or near the Atlantic Ocean. His upbringing near the ocean served as an influential factor when he decided to study biology at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez where in 1987, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

He continued to work on a master's degree in Marine Science in the same institution. Del Castillo began studying the effects of oil pollution in the tropical marine environments. His master's thesis dealt with oil pollution and the results of his thesis was presented in a meeting in Rennes, France.

In 2003, Del Castillo was offered a position as Program Scientist for the Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The temporary position allowed him to learn about policy, and interact with colleagues in academia and other branches of the government.

Awards and recognitions William Sackett Prize (1998) Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) (2004) Emerald Honor Trailblazers Award (2007) Inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame (2017).

Written work Remote Sensing of Coastal Aquatic Environments: Technologies, Techniques and Applications (Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing); authors: Carlos E. Del Castillo, Richard L. Miller; Brent A. McKee; Publisher: Springer (December 1, 2010);.