Women and Girls in Science Theme Days Celebrated on NGC LinkedIn — Find All Interviews Here

#women in science / scientist says

Aparnna Ravi Panangattuparambil  

Researcher

Aparnna’s interview has been part of our monthly series Scientist Says, which you can read here or by clicking the button below.

Dr Aparnna Ravi Panangattuparambil is a researcher at the Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Why is it important to understand carbon cycle processes and the impact of land-use change on greenhouse gas fluxes, and how does the BLUE bookkeeping model relate? Our expert Aparnna explained this to us.

#women in science 

Viola Heinrich 

Postdoctoral Researcher

🛰️Please introduce yourself briefly.

- I am Viola, a post-doctoral researcher at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany. I am a nerdy geographer with a passion for understanding how we can work with Nature to limit our impact of climate change, and reduce some of the damage humans have done on this planet. Throughout my academic career have I have explored glaciers in West Antarctica, studied droughts in East Africa, and regrowing secondary forests in the tropics, which was my research focus during my PhD at the University of Bristol, UK.

🛰️Which topic are you currently working on within the NextGenCarbon project?

- In NextGenCarbon, I am in the group responsible for using remote sensing data to help to to better quantify large-scale changes across ecosystems. My focus is on using remote sensing products to look at forest disturbance after events like bark beetle outbreaks in Europe, or selective logging and fire in the tropics, and quantify how forests recover from such disturbnaces in terms of their carbon storage as well as their diversity. I am also co-leading the Task Force on Disturbance and Regrowth, our role is to connect the various members across the 9 Working Groups, who are working on the diverse dynamics of ecosystem disturbance and regrowth - from small-scale monitoring with forest field measurements to large scale modelling with vegetation models.

🛰️Why did you choose to specialise in this particular field of research?

- I love learning about and researching secondary forests as they can simultaneously help us to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and help us to restore our degraded ecosystems. What I particuarly enjoy about my research field is the great diversity of colleagues I get to work and engage with, from interacting with other researchers across the world, to talking to policy makers and practioners who use the results from our research to make meaningful action with regards to restoration. Every forest is unique, and so every restoration approach should be taylored to it, bringing exciting research challenges and hopefully rewarding outputs in the long run.

#women in science 

Chiara Zabeo 

Research Assistant

Chiara is our new colleague from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). 

🌲 Please introduce yourself briefly.

- Hi! I am Chiara and I am originally from Italy. I have a forestry background and I specialised in the use of Remote Sensing technologies to monitor forest health and ecological functioning. I am currently working as a research assistant at SLU in Umeå.

🌲 Can you tell us which projects you are currently working on at the Forest Remote Sensing Division?

- I am currently working in the EU-funded projects FORWARDS Project and NextGenCarbon. Specifically, I am looking at how Eddy Covariance flux measurements relate to optical imagery to improve the spatialization and estimate of the carbon balance of European forests.

🌲 What brought you to SLU, and why did you choose to specialise in this particular field of research?

- I first came to SLU as a visiting PhD student two years ago, and I really enjoyed my time here! I found a very supportive workplace atmosphere that allowed me to confront myself with peers as well as more experienced scientists and I learned a lot from this, so I decided to come back. I chose to specialise in Remote Sensing because I was fascinated by how much information you can gain from an image or a point cloud, from the single tree to a whole forest. These technologies can tell us a lot when we learn how to leverage them.

#women in science 

Geike De Sloover 

Doctoral Researcher

🌲Please introduce yourself briefly.

- My name is Geike De Sloover and I am a PhD student jointly affiliated with Ghent University and the University of Antwerp. Within the #NextGenCarbon project, I am based at UAntwerp and work at the interface of forest ecology and remote sensing.

🌲Which topic are you currently working on within the NextGenCarbon project?

- Within #NGC, I focus on laser scanning of forested #ICOS sites across Europe. Using terrestrial laser scanning, I derive above ground biomass estimates and analyse temporal changes in forest structure. By combining this with UAV laser scanning, I am able to upscale these measurements to larger areas. The goal is to improve our understanding of how forests store carbon and how that storage changes over time, which is particularly relevant within ICOS, where carbon fluxes are already extensively monitored.

🌲 Why did you choose to specialise in this particular field of research?

- I first became involved in laser scanning research during my bachelor’s and master’s theses and gradually grew into the field from there. I was fortunate to end up in a research group where collaboration and personality are valued as much as academic output, which made me feel welcome and motivated to continue in research.

I’ve always been drawn to forests: they’re calm, wonderful places to work, and at the same time there is the impressive combination of their physical structure and their role as major carbon stores. It’s a system that is both visually impressive and scientifically important. Being able to study that using advanced measurement technologies is simply something I genuinely enjoy.

#women in science 

Ameenat Adesina

Doctoral Researcher

Ameenat is another new colleague of ours from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). 

🌲 Please introduce yourself briefly.

- My name is Ameenat Kehinde Adesina. I have a strong passion for forest management and sustainability, with a focus on promoting the responsible use and long‑term preservation of forest resources. My interest in forest remote sensing began during my bachelor’s studies in Forestry and Wildlife Management at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta—my first real exposure to the forestry world. Today, I am committed to contributing to global efforts aimed at protecting forests and understanding their role in environmental resilience through advanced monitoring technologies such as remote sensing.

🌲 Can you tell us which project or projects you are currently working on at the Forest Remote Sensing Division?

- I am currently working on the NextGenCarbon project, where my research focuses on measuring solar‑induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) to better understand the complex dynamics of plant photosynthesis and carbon assimilation. My work contributes to the calibration and validation efforts supporting the European Space Agency - ESA FLEX mission, using multi‑sensor remote sensing data to improve the accuracy of forest productivity and carbon cycle monitoring.

🌲 What brought you to SLU, and why did you choose to specialise in this particular field of research?

- I was drawn to SLU because of its leading expertise in forest science, its strong commitment to sustainability, and its reputation for cutting‑edge research in remote sensing. Specialising in forest remote sensing allows me to combine my background in forestry with my interest in technological innovation. I chose this field because it provides powerful tools for understanding how forests function, respond to environmental change, and contribute to the global carbon cycle. Working at SLU gives me the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to climate‑focused research while developing advanced skills that support more sustainable forest management worldwide.