Luis Carrasco Tornero
Geospatial Lead
Responsible for leading TRACT’s geo-spatial directives. Oversees all geo-spatial requirements including data collection, alignment & analysis and leading on stakeholder alignment for geo-spatial elements.
Luis is a geospatial scientist with an academic background in ecology and conservation. Luis has devoted the last 10+ years to harnessing satellite imagery and machine learning techniques to address pressing environmental challenges, notably biodiversity loss and climate change.
In his previous role at Descartes Labs, Luis served as an applied scientist for sustainability products, where he analysed satellite data and pioneered the development of innovative products for measuring and monitoring deforestation, biomass, and biodiversity. Prior to this, Luis was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Tokyo and at NIMBioS/University of Tennessee. During these tenures, his research focused on forest structure measurements using lidar technology, habitat and crop mapping, environmental-biodiversity relationships, protected areas and climate change studies, etc. Luis's professional journey also includes contributions to the UK's Center of Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), where he played a pivotal role in the development of new methodologies to create the UK's Land Cover Map.
Luis obtained a PhD from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, where he delved into the intricate habitat selection patterns of bird species in agricultural landscapes. His academic pursuits commenced with a Bachelor's degree in physics, followed by a Master's degree in biodiversity conservation from the University of Valencia, Spain. It was during this time that Luis discovered his profound passion for nature and his affinity for observing the Earth from above.