PhD Project: Using high-resolution Earth observation and socio-economic data to improve land-use classification and deforestation prediction in sub-Saharan Africa. Funding: C-CLEAR NERC DTP. Supervisors: Emily Lines & Emilie Beauchamp.
Amandine is a PhD student in the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge and a member of the Climate and Environmental Dynamics Research Group. She graduated from the Engineering School CentraleSupélec (Diplôme d’Ingénieur or MSc in Engineering) and Imperial College London (MSc in Environmental Engineering and Business Management). Before joining the University of Cambridge, she worked as a Young Graduate Trainee at the European Space Agency Centre for Earth Observation (ESRIN) in Italy.
Amandine’s PhD focuses on using high-resolution optical (e.g. PlanetScope) and SAR (e.g. Sentinel-1) satellite data, machine learning and deep learning techniques, and socio-economic data (e.g. governance, demographic) to better understand and monitor land-use changes in sub-Saharan Africa. Using Cameroon as a case study, Amandine’s project aims to model the spatial and temporal dynamics of transitions from forest to multiple land-use types, and the socio-economic drivers behind them. She is working with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and in-country partners to ensure her models are tailored to maximise their reusability for ongoing policy-making and conservation programmes.
Link: https://cambridge-earth-observation.org/cambridge-university-researchers/amandine-debus/