Victor Gutierrez

I study how changes in climate and human use of the land influence the conditions that support people and other forms of life on Earth. I do this through a combination of remote sensing and spatial modeling among others. With my work, I aim to produce knowledge that can help to identify avenues to ensure nature's conservation and people's well-being.

My research includes 1) the identification of land system change in urban and rural environments, 2) the understanding of social, climatic, and biophysical drivers of land system change, 3) the analysis of interactions between climate and land system change in relation to broader ecological and environmental processes including changes in biodiversity, the proliferation of fires and air pollution, and the spread of infectious disease vectors, and 4) the production of spatial information, infrastructure, and knowledge that inform decisions to promote ecological integrity and people's well-being.

I have a master’s degree in Geographic Information Science from Clark University and a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology from Columbia University.