Lyndon Estes

Lyndon Estes is a Professor in the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University, focusing on environmental science with a specialization in agricultural change dynamics in Africa. He employs advanced Earth Observation technologies and interdisciplinary modeling approaches, collaborating with economists, agronomists, and computer scientists. His work bridges ecological conservation with agricultural development through geospatial analytics.

• Ph.D. in Environmental Science (Ecology), University of Virginia, 2008
• M.Phil. in Conservation Biology, University of Cape Town, 2000
• B.A. in English, Georgetown University, 1993

Estes’ research integrates remote sensing, machine learning, and interdisciplinary methodologies to address challenges in smallholder agriculture, land use planning, and climate-food security nexus. His recent work focuses on:

• Cropland mapping in data-sparse African savannas
• Drought impact analysis through field-scale soil moisture tracking
• Conservation planning for savanna elephants
• Sustainable development goals and satellite data access
• Transport infrastructure impacts on Zambian supply chains
• Neural network optimization for Earth observation

His grants include NASA SERVIR funding for Amazon forest-agriculture interface mapping, Lacuna Fund support for Sub-Saharan crop boundary labeling, and NSF grants. Estes leads the Agricultural Impacts Research Group, which develops geospatial tools for reconciling agricultural expansion with biodiversity conservation.