Ecosystem Dynamics and Remote Sensing Lab

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Now open: I am looking for ONE Ph.D. student (Fall 2027) and ONE postdoc (Any time in 2026 or 2027) to join my group.  

We use all kinds of satellite remote sensing data (passive/active/optical/LiDAR/Microwave) and build models to study ecosystem dynamics, with a center focus on the role of terrestrial vegetation on carbon, water, and energy cycles!  Please feel free to email me (chi.chen[AT].rutgers.edu). 

The Ecosystem Dynamics and Remote Sensing Lab is led by Dr. Chi Chen, who is an assistant professor and a faculty member in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Our group conducts interdisciplinary research to address how vegetation regulates energy, water, and gas exchanges across spatial and temporal scales. We aim to monitor and understand terrestrial biosphere processes in the coupled climate and human system. We use tools ranging from remote sensing and in-situ observations to Earth system models, and from physics-based theories to machine learning techniques. Our research could inform large-scale land management, including agriculture and silviculture practices, urban planning, and nature-based climate solutions. Our research (see published papers) has reached a wider international audience through media coverage. Dr. Chi Chen teaches remote sensing and ecosystem modeling classes at Rutgers University.

The key questions we asking are:

• How is the global vegetation changing?

• What are the drivers of global vegetation change?

• How are the vegetation's biophysical & biochemical processes coordinated with their growing environment?

• What are the impacts of global vegetation dynamics on near-surface energy, carbon, and water cycles?