Current team

The EarthMapps at KU Leuven brings together a talented, enthusiastic team across Earth observation, environmental modelling, climate and biophysical models, model emulation, and geospatial AI.

Name Role Topic Link
Stef Haesen FWO Post-doc MicroSCOPE – Microclimate Simulation and Carbon Outcomes using Probabilistic Emulation KU Leuven project page
Titus Top PhD Graph Neural Networks for Ice Sheet Modeling and Sea Level Rise Projections KU Leuven project page
Nelly Gaillard PhD CLimate-aware EO foundation models -
Deniz Soysal PhD AI-based remote sensing for monitoring reforestation success in semi-arid regions KU Leuven project page
Toon Lambrecht PhD Half a century of change - using declassified cold war imagery to study land cover change in the Sahel KU Leuven project page
Reinout Vandenabeele PhD ECOGraph - a graph-based approach for Species Distribution Models KU Leuven project page
Kato Vanpoucke PhD Improving pollinator habitat modeling by integrating remote sensing data into CNN-based species distribution models KU Leuven project page
Sebastian Berghald PhD Antarctic Climate Causality - Unraveling links between the components of the system and their variability (ACCU) KU Leuven project page
Enrrique Francisco Coritza Taquichiri Co-supervised PhD A warning system for extreme precipitation events in the Bolivian Andes KU Leuven project page
Emiel Buffel Co-supervised PhD Geospatial Impact Evaluation - Measuring the contribution of reforestation on the provision of Forest Ecosystem Services KU Leuven project page
Sofie Van Winckel Co-supervised PhD Spatio-temporal modeling of actual forest ecosystem services and their trade-offs KU Leuven project page
Willem Goossens Co-supervised PhD The contribution of neophyte species to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning KU Leuven project page
Jingyi Wang Visiting PhD Monitoring and modeling ecosystem dynamics using remote sensing and spatial analysis Google Scholar
Zhiwen Yang Visiting PhD Antarctic ice-shelf basal melting through satellite altimetry, geodesy, and multi-source remote sensing -
Jiahui Xu Visiting PhD Understanding and predicting snow cover dynamics in a warming climate through remote sensing and deep learning Google Scholar

Former team members

Besides the current team in Leuven, external and former PhDs (e.g. at TUDelft), postdocs and collaborators have contributed to the development of EarthMapps. Many remain connected to the team through ongoing research and collaboration.

Name Role Topic Period University Link
Enrique Apolo Apolo Former PostDoc Deepfaking ecosystem response to climate extremes 2023-2025 EarthMapps @ KU Leuven OrcidLinkedIn profile
Nora Gourmelon Former Visiting PhD Glacier Calving Front Delineation in SAR Imagery Using Deep Learning 2026 EarthMapps @ KU Leuven LinkedIn profile
Shashwat Shukla Ongoing PhD at TUDelft Remote sensing of firn conditions on ice shelves 2021-present TU Delft LinkedIn profile
Danille Bintaje Ongoing PhD at TUDelft Firn Capacity of Antarctic Ice Shelves via Satellites Observation 2025-present TU Delft LinkedIn profile
Ann-Sofie Priergaard Zinck Former PhD Revealing hidden patterns - A study on ice shelf basal melting 2021-2025 TU Delft PhDLinkedIn profile
Sophie de Roda Husman Former PhD From pixels to puddles - Mapping surface melt on Antarctic ice shelves using satellite data and deep learning 2021-2025 TU Delft PhDLinkedIn profile
Weiran Li Former PhD Assessing firn properties from multi-source remote sensing data 2018-2025 TU Delft PhD
Thore Kausch Former PhD Remote sensing and modelling of East Antarctica's local surface mass balance variability 2018-2025 TU Delft -
Maaike Izeboud Former PhD Remote sensing of damage feedbacks and ice shelf instability 2020-2024 TU Delft PhDLinkedIn profile
Harry Zekollari Former PostDoc CAPSizing ICE caps: identifying tipping points through global modelling 2019-2021 TU Delft Personal websiteLinkedIn profile
Kristof Van Tricht Former PhD The role of clouds in the climate of Greenland 2012-2016 KU Leuven PhDLinkedIn profile
Wanda De Keersmaecker Former PhD Quantification of vegetation response to climate anomalies through remote sensing 2011-2015 KU Leuven PhDLinkedIn profile
Steven Vanonckelen Former PhD Detection and analysis of forest cover dynamics with Landsat satellite imagery, application in the Romanian Carpathian Ecoregion 2010-2014 KU Leuven PhDLinkedIn profile
Sander Veraverbeke Former PhD Assessing fire/burn severity using spaceborne spectral indices 2007-2010 UGent PhDPersonal websiteLinkedIn profile