Anna Schweiger

Dr. Anna Schweiger is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences within the College of Agriculture at Montana State University. She is also affiliated with the Institute on Ecosystems. Her research integrates remote sensing and ecology to address global biodiversity challenges.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Zurich (2015)
• M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (2010)
• B.S. in Ecology and Biodiversity from the University of Graz (2007)

Dr. Schweiger is an ecologist and remote sensing scientist whose research focuses on developing scalable methods for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem function. She investigates the links between plant spectra, plant form and function, and phylogeny, and applies remote sensing to map plant traits, species, stress, and disease. Her work also extends to using vegetation maps to study animal behavior, including ungulates and birds. She is driven by the need for real-time biodiversity assessment to inform conservation and management.

Dr. Schweiger's publication record shows a consistent focus on spectral diversity and its relationship to biodiversity and ecosystem function, with high-impact publications in journals like Nature Communications and Nature Ecology and Evolution. Her recent work has expanded to include applications across trophic levels and in diverse ecosystems.

Dr. Schweiger actively secures research funding and currently leads multiple projects:

• NSF-IOS project on drought recovery mechanisms (2025-2029, Co-PI)
• NASA-ROSES project on remote sensing of biodiversity across trophic levels (2024-2027, PI)
• USDA-AMS project on maple syrup quality prediction (2024-2029, PI)
• Several MSU Undergraduate Scholars programs on spectral databases and grazing effects (2024-present, PI)

She mentors students in the Schweiger Lab, which focuses on remotely sensing biodiversity across spatial, temporal, and ecological scales to address global environmental challenges.