Dr Karen Anderson

Current research: I work with spatial data captured by satellites, airplanes and drones to understand ecosystem processes, particularly flows and stores of carbon and water. I work predominantly in non-forest systems where vegetation pattern and volumetric structure provides a useful proxy for function.

Expertise: My PhD was focused on developing proximal sensing and spectroradiometric approaches for calibrating and validating coarser-grained remote sensing (RS) data through which I gained a deep critical understanding of the physical aspects of RS. My research now addresses questions about the relationships between spatial pattern, volumetric structure and ecosystem function in vegetated systems using RS observations, in situ data and spatial modelling. I work extensively with RS data of all types, from satellite observations to airborne and terrestrial laser scanning, and spectroscopy. With my DroneLab research group, I have pioneered the use of lightweight drones for spatial ecological research, with a particular focus on spatial modelling of vegetation structure in wetland, grass and shrub ecosystems. I have undertaken a range of practical research developing drone sensing methodologies, the latter which has led to me producing the first spatial estimates of shrub biomass in drylands using drone-based SfM photogrammetry methods.

Supervision: I currently manage a team comprising postdoctoral, doctoral and MbyRes researchers. I have supervised 12 PhD students to successful completion, all of whom have published peer-reviewed papers during their research projects.

I am a geographer and I work also within the Geography Department in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences.

You can find my Google Scholar account here.

Interests:

• Remote and proximal sensing
• Laser scanning and waveform LiDAR
• Field spectroscopy
• Drone sensing
• Structure-from-motion photogrammetry
• Eco-hydrology
• Vegetation structure
• Mountain hydrology
• Ecosystem services

Further information can be found on my personal webpages.

Qualifications:

2005 PhD Geography (University of Southampton)
1999 BSc Environmental Science (University of Southampton, First Class Hons)

Career:

2016 Associate Professor, University of Exeter
2010 Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter
2004-2010 Lecturer, University of Exeter
2000-2002 Manager of the NERC Equipment Pool for Field Spectroscopy, University of Southampton
2000-2002 Remote sensing consultancy, GeoData Institute