Michael Lefsky
Senior Remote Sensing Scientist
Fort Collins, CO
(970) 980-9036
www.linkedin.com/in/michael-lefsky
Professional Summary
Remote sensing scientist and forest ecologist with 30 years experience in the application of lidar and optical remote sensing to applications in forest management and ecology. I am by nature a problem solver who looks for new approaches and solutions that minimize cost and effort. I have a comprehensive knowledge of statistics, machine learning, and image processing using ENVI, Python, R, and Google Earth Engine. I am looking for a position that utilizes my remote sensing background and problem solving abilities to address adaptation to and mitigation of global climate change.
Work Experience
Teren - Geospatial consultants 2023-2024 Senior Remote Sensing Scientist ● Developed software libraries for individual tree segmentation and identification of stream flow paths.
Earthblox 2022-2023 Software Architect ● Designed the underlying block architecture of the Earthblox no-code interface to Google Earth Engine ● Performed a quantitative analysis of the most commonly used commands and analyses ● Identified a minimum set of blocks that performed most common tasks while minimizing overlap between each block’s functionality to maximize the flexibility to combine block types . ● Integrated SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog metadata, minimizing the need to know sensor details ● Wrote initial algorithms for each block and write detailed descriptions of their behavior
Colorado State University 2002-2022 Full Professor ● Developed undergraduate and graduate curricula for introductory and advanced remote sensing courses and seminars. ● As principal investigator, won and managed $8M in competitive grants from NASA and NSF. Responsible for budgeting, coordination with co-investigators, and guidance of graduate students and postdocs. ● High research impact (18k+ citations, h-index 45, “Top 2% of Scientists” per 2023 Stanford study) ● Member of ICESat & ICESat-2 science teams and NEON Airborne Observatory Platform steering committee during its planning phase
Education & Certifications
University of Virginia, PhD, Environmental Science, 1997
Advisor: Hank Shugart. Dissertation: Application of lidar remote sensing to the estimation of forest canopy and stand structure. Supported by NASA Earth System Science Fellowship
IBM Data Science Professional Certificate 2024
Core Competencies
Pioneer in applications of lidar remote sensing to forest carbon accounting, including first aboveground biomass estimate, first regional analysis of biomass estimation accuracy, first estimate of forest productivity using Landsat change detection and lidar estimates of biomass, and first fusion of satellite lidar and optical data to create global data coverages of forest height.
Application of advanced statistical and machine learning techniques with a drive to identify the simplest appropriate approach to maximize analysis confidence, interpretability, and communication of methods and results.
Ability to strategically sequence large projects, identify potential roadblocks, and minimize their impact on project timelines and cost.
Demonstrated ability to apply core remote sensing concepts to the development and application of novel sensor technologies and data analysis methods.
Creation of clearly understood papers, proposals, reports and presentations with strong narratives.
Ability to strategically sequence large projects, identify potential roadblocks, and minimize their impact on project timelines and costs.
Demonstrated ability to apply core remote sensing concepts to the development and application of novel sensor technologies and data analysis methods.
Programming and analysis - Python, R, IDL, common visualization and analytical packages. Recently completed 6-month IBM Data Science Certificate.