Research

My research contributes to the advancement of remote sensing applications in environmental science, and forensic remote sensing - a discipline I pioneered. I was the first to use hyperspectral imagery for clandestine grave detection and co-authored the first peer-reviewed publication on this subject, referenced in an Interim report of a Special Rapporteur to the United Nations General Assembly. While my research extensively utilizes airborne hyperspectral remote sensing from manned aircraft, I also use small-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for detailed investigations of ecosystems; my lab is a world leader in UAV hyperspectral imaging. Through the Fish + Forest project I study aquatic habitats of endemic and endangered ichthyofauna, producing the first aerial and underwater 3D reconstructions of riverscapes in Brazil. My research also examines large-scale land use change for biodiversity conservation from satellite imagery and contributes to satellite data product validation (Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2) for Canadian peatlands. I was the first Canadian woman to lead an airborne hyperspectral mission in Costa Rica in 2013 for forest carbon stock and biodiversity estimation. My interdisciplinary research is carried out in Canada, Brazil, Tanzania, Ghana, Peruvian Amazon, Panama, Madagascar and Costa Rica. My most recent work utilizes airborne hyperspectral imagery to estimate biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; a fundamental aspect of the Canadian Airborne Biodiversity Observatory (CABO).