Summary

Earth Observation expert with 20+ years of experience spanning academic research, international programme management, and open-source development. Known for bridging scientific depth with real-world application — from tropical forest monitoring to European space policy.

Education

Year Degree Institution
2015 University Teaching Qualification (BKO/UTQ) Wageningen University, Netherlands
2006 PhD Bioscience Engineering & Geomatics KU Leuven, Belgium
2002 MSc Earth Observation (Magna Cum Laude) Purdue University (US) & KU Leuven (BE)
2000 MSc Bioscience Engineering (Cum Laude) KU Leuven, Belgium
1997 BSc Biological Engineering (Cum Fructu) KU Leuven, Belgium

PhD title: Monitoring Vegetation Dynamics with Hyper-temporal Satellite Data to Improve Fire Risk Assessment in Savanna and Forest Ecosystems. Field campaigns in South Africa (Kruger National Park), in collaboration with Stellenbosch University and CSIR South Africa.

Career

Earth Observation Programme Manager — BELSPO, Belgium (2022–present) Belgian Delegate at ESA and EU Copernicus programme boards. Focus on EO data applications, science innovation, and operational service uptake across industry and academia. Key activities include engagement with the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, Destination Earth, and national stakeholders on urban heat, climate risk, and near-real-time monitoring.

Associate Professor — Wageningen University, Netherlands (2015–2022) Led a research group on change detection and ecosystem monitoring. Supervised 2 postdocs and up to 6 PhD students. Secured major grants from ESA, EU Horizon 2020, Google, and national funders (NWO, NWO-NL, BELSPO).

Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) — Wageningen University (2012–2015)

EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow — Wageningen University (2010–2012) Integrating terrestrial LiDAR and satellite time series via radiative transfer models.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow — CSIRO, Australia (2007–2010) Operational forest monitoring for Victoria (Australian Government). Collaborated with Prof. Rob Hyndman (Monash University) to develop the BFAST software package.

Technical Skills

  • Programming: R (fluent), Python, Bash, Linux HPC environments, GitHub
  • Earth Observation: Sentinel-1/2, MODIS, Landsat; time series analysis, change detection, land cover mapping
  • Big data & platforms: Google Earth Engine, Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, openEO, FAO SEPAL, Destination Earth / DestinE
  • AI & emerging: Geospatial foundation models (ESA TerraMind), deep learning for EO, agentic programming
  • Languages: Dutch, English, French (all fluent)

Selected Awards & Recognition

  • Excellent Teaching Award, Wageningen University — 2017 & 2018 (Geo-Scripting course)
  • Google Research Award — 2013 (USD 130k) & 2015 (USD 80k) (near-real-time deforestation monitoring, Google Earth Engine)
  • CSIRO Performance Award — 2008 (excellence in satellite forest monitoring research)
  • EU Marie Curie Fellowship — 2010–2012

Selected Invited Talks & Keynotes

  • Keynote, IIASA Geo-Open-Hack, Austria (June 2024)
  • Panel discussion, AI4Copernicus (May 2024)
  • Keynote, ESA Living Planet Symposium (2022) — EO for ecosystem resilience monitoring
  • Invited talk, Tipping Points Workshop, Bern (2022) — towards IPCC special report
  • Tutorial, IGARSS, Athens (July 2024)
  • Keynote, Geo-Info Brazil (2015); Multi-temp conference, Belgium (2017)

PhD Students Supervised

Kim Calders · Johannes Reiche · Michael Schultz · Ben Brede · Ben DeVries · Eliakim Hamunyela · Patrick Brandt · Paulo Bernardino · Dainius Masiliūnas (defended May 2024)

For a full overview: LinkedIn · ORCID · Google Scholar