Jessica Fayne

Jessica Fayne is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan, affiliated with the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from UCLA (2022). Her research focuses on leveraging high-resolution satellite remote sensing to monitor global water resources, particularly terrestrial water storage dynamics under climate change. Key areas include hydro-climatic hazards, land-use changes, and the interplay between anthropogenic, atmospheric, and hydrologic processes.

Dr. Fayne's work integrates advanced remote sensing techniques like SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) to address societal challenges such as flood prediction, vegetation health assessment, and saltwater intrusion. She teaches GIS tools in Earth sciences and develops curricula in remote sensing, emphasizing interdisciplinary problem-solving. Her research has been supported by NASA missions and field campaigns like ABoVE (Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment).

Recent projects include analyzing wind dynamics over lakes, improving wetland mapping accuracy, and assessing climate impacts on boreal ecosystems. She collaborates widely across geosciences and environmental disciplines, contributing to both academic and applied environmental solutions.