GLP Summer Featured Scientists Ayanna St. Rose, PhD & Daniel Pinillos, PhD

I was initially drawn to land system science through an interest in landscapes as interfaces where ecological processes, human decisions, and historical trajectories become simultaneously visible. My early training in forestry and ecology grounded me in the biophysical dynamics of land use and land cover change, but it quickly became clear that these processes cannot be meaningfully explained without engaging governance structures, institutional arrangements, livelihood strategies, and individual and collective values.

Over time, my understanding of people–land relationships has shifted from a predominantly biophysical interpretation toward a more explicitly socioecological and multi-scalar framing. Rather than viewing land as a neutral resource base, I now approach it as a contested system in which ecological constraints, social inequalities, and multiple knowledge systems interact in shaping outcomes. Work in Latin American landscapes has been particularly influential in this shift, revealing how land-use decisions are often shaped by cross-scale drivers such as markets, policy regimes, and infrastructural investments, while their ecological and social consequences are unevenly distributed across space and groups.

This evolution has led me to increasingly adopt inter- and transdisciplinary approaches that combine mixed-methods research with spatial analysis and socioecological systems thinking, in order to better capture trade-offs and develop more context-sensitive and socially grounded understandings of land system dynamics. 

As Co-Coordinator of the GLP-ECN, I aim to contribute to strengthening coordination and collaboration across ECN members, the Scientific Steering Committee, and the International Programme Office, supporting continuity and sustained engagement within the network. I aim to contribute to strengthening the network as a more cohesive, inclusive, and globally connected space for early-career researchers in land system science, helping to further energize its activities and support its evolution as a dynamic network with its own momentum and identity.

A key priority is to help shape activities such as webinars, thematic workshops, and ECN sessions at Land System Science Week and the Open Science Meeting, ensuring these spaces not only connect members but also actively shape the field of land system science. In this context, I would place particular emphasis on inclusivity and regional diversity, with a focus on strengthening meaningful engagement across Global South–North research communities, as well as creating entry points for researchers who are not yet formally connected to the field.

In parallel, I am interested in fostering stronger linkages with adjacent communities, including open science, citizen science, and science diplomacy, and in encouraging more integrated discussions across land and aquatic systems. Overall, I see this role as an opportunity to contribute to the ECN as a dynamic platform for exchange and collaboration, while supporting its role in shaping a more open, diverse, and globally engaged land system science community

What Early Career Researchers bring to the GLP community goes beyond new topics or methods; it is also a valuable perspective shaped by how they experience and navigate the current landscape of land system science. ECRs often work across disciplinary, institutional, and geographical boundaries, which places them in a position where they observe first-hand how integrative and transdisciplinary approaches are actually being implemented in diverse contexts.

From this vantage point, they can offer insights into how concepts and frameworks travel across settings, where integration between biophysical and social dimensions becomes particularly effective in practice, and where it requires additional support or adaptation. This type of situated experience can help the broader GLP community reflect on how its approaches are being interpreted and operationalised in different regions and institutional environments.

At the same time, ECRs are often closely engaged with emerging methodological and thematic developments, including spatially explicit analysis, participatory and transdisciplinary approaches, and evolving interfaces between science and policy. They are also actively contributing to current discussions on equity, sustainability, and land system change, helping to identify new directions in the field.

More broadly, ECRs play an important role in sustaining the dynamism and openness of the GLP community. Through their diverse experiences and strong engagement across academic and non-academic spaces, they contribute to keeping the field connected, reflexive, and responsive to the complexity of global land systems.

One of my most meaningful experiences within the GLP community thus far has been participating in the Global Land Programme’s 5th Open Science Meeting (GLP OSM5) in Oaxaca, Mexico, particularly through the combination of the Early Career Network (ECN) activities and the conference itself. The ECN sessions organized in the days beforehand were especially inspiring, as they created space to connect with fellow early-career researchers from different regions who shared not only similar scientific interests, but also many of the personal and emotional challenges that come with working on sustainability and land system change. Such conversations fostered a strong sense of openness and community that I had not fully anticipated.

This experience shaped how I approached the Open Science Meeting itself. The conference brought together an exceptionally diverse group of researchers and practitioners working across different dimensions of land system science, creating space for rich discussions across regions, methods, and perspectives. What stood out most for me was the opportunity to engage in conversations that linked empirical research with broader conceptual questions about land system change, particularly in contexts of high socioecological complexity such as Latin America. Having participated in the ECN activities beforehand allowed me to engage with the conference with greater confidence, perspective, and a stronger sense of belonging within the GLP community.

One thing that may not be widely known about my work is that my interest in land systems has been shaped by both conceptual work on sustainability science and long-term engagement with land-use dynamics in a family context. A significant part of my academic work has focused on the epistemological and methodological dimensions of inter- and transdisciplinarity, including contributions to the development of a university research policy and research agenda aimed at articulating how different ways of knowing can be meaningfully integrated in institutional practice. This has led me to reflect on how knowledge becomes legitimized, how research priorities are shaped, and how science interfaces with societal decision-making. In parallel, I have been closely exposed to land-use transformation through a family rubber plantation on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, which has been progressively transformed into an agroforestry system integrating cacao, rubber, and cardamom. This process has provided a grounded perspective on land-use change, particularly in relation to uncertainty, trade-offs, and long-term socioecological dynamics, and has reinforced my conceptual work on how land systems are understood and governed. 

In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica, destroying my family’s business and our home, alongside so many others on the island. The heartbreak lit a fire within me. I couldn’t fathom how the Caribbean, despite contributing so little to global climate change, was forced to bear the brunt of its most catastrophic events. Amid the devastation, two things struck me: first, our 'Nature Isle' was left entirely bare of its trees; second, we lacked the data to adequately quantify this ecological tragedy on the international stage. We could speak to the loss of GDP and emotions, but the absence of a tangible way to measure the destruction of our forest cover and biodiversity, and what that meant for our people, was structurally invisible.

That realization drew me to land system science. I wanted to close that data gap, so I specialized in forest ecology, remote sensing, and big data. Over the course of my research, my understanding of the relationship between people and land has evolved significantly: I no longer see land systems solely as natural habitats to study but as the foundation for human climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.

Today, that journey has come full circle. I recently transitioned from graduate school directly into a post-doctoral position collaborating with U.S. Forest Service scientists to model how wildfire disturbances are altering forest composition across the Pacific Northwest. Simultaneously, I’ve been able to channel this expertise back into the region that started it all. As a founding member and the Data, Ecology, and Sustainability Lead at Caribbean Environmental Solutions, I am positioned to lead science-based, public-interest initiatives to advance environmental protection across the islands. Whether analyzing disturbance ecology in Pacific forests or driving climate resilience at home through my non-profit and mentorship networks, I wear many hats, all dedicated to translating complex data into actionable science for both land and communities.

As the Co-Coordinator of the GLP-ECN, I hope to create space and set guardrails for ECR. I hope to give the ECR exactly what I got from GLP, the very first time I attended the open science meeting: hope, confidence, and community. I want to open doors, build networks, foster collaboration, and highlight opportunities.

The GLP community can look to ECRs as a source of renewed energy and innovation. What we lack in tenure, we make up for in curiosity, adaptability, and untamed optimism. From conversations with more seasoned researchers, it seems that seasoned professionals can lose some of that spark over time, which is exactly why the energy of ECRs is so valuable. We bring the grit and the fresh eyes necessary to challenge old patterns and revitalize the work. Many of us are not bound to the status quo, always innovating, and willing to challenge ways of thinking. 

My favorite experience as a member of GLP has definitely been interacting with the community at the GLP OSM5. It was a massive conference, yet it felt tight-knit because everyone treated each other like family. I love how GLP prioritizes deep connections to the science, to the community, and to each other. Everyone is genuinely invested in helping you expand your network. Having received an ECN scholarship when the network first launched, that support truly helped me find my footing and gain confidence in this field. It opened my eyes to the incredible impact the GLP family is making across their respective domains and served as a powerful reminder that our work truly matters. It also showed me that we are brilliant, but science isn’t all we do… it isn’t the only thing that matters. Community is important. As a doctoral candidate at the time, that reminder and the proof of what we can achieve together were exactly what I needed.

I always emphasize that impactful science begins long before the data collection starts. It begins with the collaborative co-production of research proposals. Truly co-designing projects with local communities and diverse stakeholders is incredibly challenging as it requires balancing conflicting schedules, navigating varying priorities, and genuinely embracing new perspectives. However, it is absolutely critical for ensuring that scientific outcomes are trusted, relevant, and actionable. Science should never be exclusive to scientists. For our work to drive real-world climate resilience, the communities impacted by the data must be active partners in shaping the questions we ask.