Thomas Lees

Academic Profile

I studied Geography at the University of Oxford for my Bachelor's degree. My dissertation was looking at the spatial distribution of food poverty in Oxfordshire. Since leaving university I worked for a water and sanitation NGO in Cambodia and then completed internships at a marketing agency and the national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey. I became increasingly interested in the applications of satellite imagery and machine learning methods, and hope to complete my research at the intersection of these areas.

Awards

Airbus CASE Studentship (2017-2022)

Undergraduate Academic Scholarship (2013-2016), Christ Church College Oxford

Current Research

I am investigating methods to improve drought monitoring in East Africa. I hope to combine earth observation, water resource modelling and in situ monitoring to identify spatial and temporal patterns in drought conditions.
This involves developing new vegetation health indices to remotely monitor drought and infer land surface conditions, as well as developing automated approaches to provide decision support tools for partners in Ethiopia and Kenya.

I work with a number of organisations on an international partnership project (IPP), and am lucky enough to have an Industrial CASE Studentship, allowing me to work closely with Airbus.

Publications

Publications will be coming soon

Contact information