I develop methods to get the most information from satellite data and hydrology, especially in parts of sub-Saharan Africa where data is limited. My work spans from academic research (PhD, journal articles, and theses) to practical on-the-ground applications through Saterra Labs and consultancy projects.

Find my full academic record on Google Scholar · ORCID

Wageningen University, 2019–2024

My PhD focused on a question that sounds simple but is surprisingly hard to answer: where is water being used for irrigation in smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa? Many irrigated areas aren’t officially recorded, making it difficult for governments and development organisations to plan water use and agricultural policy.

What I worked on:

• Developing machine learning methods for mapping irrigation using satellite imagery (Sentinel-1 & 2, PlanetScope)
• Evaluating how algorithm choice, training data, and composite length affect classification accuracy
• Studying whether models trained in one region transfer to another — and when they don’t
• Proposing a transparent reporting framework so other researchers can communicate their methods clearly

Key output:

• Thesis: “Uncharted territory: mapping diverse and dispersed smallholder irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa through remote sensing” WUR Repository · Download PDF
• Supervised by: Prof. Dr. Charlotte de Fraiture, Dr. Ir. Gert Jan Veldwisch, Dr. Ir. Poolad Karimi
• Study areas: four regions in Mozambique with contrasting agroecological settings

Within Resilience BV | Sub-Saharan Africa | 2019–Present

Saterra Labs is the geospatial and hydrology team I lead within Resilience BV. We work mostly for development programmes — NGOs, development banks, conservation projects — that need to understand a landscape before they can do anything useful in it.

The countries we work in most: Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire. The questions are usually about water availability, land use change, agricultural systems, or environmental compliance — in regions where the data you’d normally rely on (weather stations, land surveys, irrigation registries) is thin or non-existent.

Most of the technical work runs in Google Earth Engine, R, and Python: satellite time-series analysis, hydrological modelling, machine learning classification, and whatever else fills the gap between the satellite and an answer the client can use. A large part of my PhD was about developing methods for exactly this context.

Learn more: saterra.earth

Remote Sensing Specialist, February 2024 – March 2026

Supported the World Bank’s Water Informatics Team with satellite-based analysis for water resource management projects across multiple countries.

In addition to peer-reviewed work, I contribute to technical and policy reports for development organisations and private sector clients.

Sector Studies — Colombia (with Wageningen University & Research)

Co-authored commodity sector studies for Colombia, assessing supply chains for sustainability and environmental compliance:

• Coffee Sector in Colombia (2023, 2024) — with Ciravegna, Ingram, Naranjo, Cocchini, Herrera & Weitkamp
• Palm Oil Sector in Colombia (2023, 2024) — with Ciravegna, Ingram, Naranjo, Cocchini, Herrera & Weitkamp

FASIMO — Remote Sensing for Mozambique Irrigation

Technical and policy reports for the FASIMO programme on remote sensing methodology and irrigated agriculture in Mozambique. These provided the practical basis for government water resource planning.

Feasibility Studies

• SmartCane BV Feasibility Study — Assessing satellite-based monitoring for sugarcane in Southern Africa.
• SmartGrain Feasibility Study — Exploring satellite monitoring for grain crop systems.