Carlos Portillo-Quintero, an associate professor within Texas Tech University’s Department of Natural Resources Management, has been selected a 2022 Kavli Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. An expert in geospatial analysis and imagery interpretation, he is the first Texas Tech faculty member to receive this honor.

“The symposium was truly a unique experience,” Portillo-Quintero said. “One moment I was learning about the details of vaccine development research, and in the next I was discussing techniques with astronomers and cell biologists on image analysis or exchanging experiences in the field with anthropologists. It was invigorating.”

As a new Kavli Fellow, Portillo-Quintero was also invited to present his research on the use of satellite imagery and geospatial technologies to understand patterns of change in tropical forests and communicate these effectively to local communities. 

His research includes state-of-the-art applications that aim to understand the hidden dynamics of socioeconomic change that drive tropical biodiversity loss. His work includes collaborations with the Yucatan Center for Scientific Research in Mexico and the University of Malaga in Spain. 

Portillo-Quintero's Geospatial Technologies Lab has received support by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, U.S. Agency for International Development, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service through Pheasants Forever, BASF, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research through the Tropi-Dry Network, the Elo and Olga Urbanovsky Fellowship and the Texas Tech Office of International Affairs.

CONTACT: Warren Conway, Chair, Department of Natural Resources Management, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-6579 or warren.conway@ttu.edu

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