Associate Professor Lynn Carter is the recipient of a Distinguished Scholars Award from the University of Arizona. The award recognizes outstanding mid-career faculty who create transformative innovations in their disciplines and make highly valued contributions to the teaching, research, and outreach priorities set out in the University of Arizona's Strategic Plan. In 2016, Dr. Carter received the Presidential Early Career Award, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists who show exceptional promise for leadership and for contributions to public education and outreach.

Dr. Carter is an expert in the use of radar to explore planetary surfaces and subsurfaces; she is currently a team member on six spacecraft instruments. Dr. Carter has held advisory and leadership positions both nationally (NASA steering committees and advisory panels) and locally, serving on the Executive Committee of the Earth Dynamics Observatory and as a member of the inaugural Executive Panel for the Arizona Space Institute, organized from the Strategic Plan call to provide a systematic approach to compete for spacecraft instruments and missions.

Dr. Carter's contributions to UArizona extend to her service as an exceptional mentor and advisor to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers and her ongoing and demonstrated advocacy for inclusiveness, especially in STEM fields.