Dr. Hayden holds a PhD in Mathematics and Education.  She is presently the Associate Dean of the School of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Elizabeth City State University, and the Director of the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research (CERSER). The CERSER program works in partnership with federal agencies, other universities and private corporations on research projects which include CReSIS (focusing on radar and seismic mapping of rapidly changing glacier zones in polar regions for impact on global warming and sea level change).  She is Principal Investigator on the NSF CyberInfrastructure from Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets project funded through the National Science Foundation Office of CyberInfrastructure CI-TEAM project.

Dr. Linda Hayden was instrumental in establishing the Eastern North Carolina Chapter #03181 of the Geosciences and Remote Sensing Society and currently serves as president of that chapter.  In her efforts to develop the GRSS chapter membership and expand the services to the region, she has instituted a Distinguished Lecture Series (held each Spring, Summer and Fall at Elizabeth City State University), workshops and symposium series that enhance professional capabilities in remote sensing applications to coastal, marine and polar science.  Her efforts to date have led to dozens of new members for the GRS Society and a measurable increase in GRS Society activities in the Eastern North Carolina region. 

Dr. Hayden was presented the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring by the National Science Foundation.  She also received the Emerald Award for Educational Leadership in 2003 and the 2005 IEEE-USA Award for Professional Achievement, which acknowledges outstanding accomplishment in cultivating student interests in remote sensing and supporting both their involvement in and research presentations at IEEE-GRSS conferences.