Some pics of the Kellylab gang in groups, plus an xenomorph made out of hardware I saw in a shop in Germany once.

Background - Maggi Kelly

Dr. Maggi Kelly is Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist at the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and an expert in spatial data science. She has dedicated her career to redefining the boundaries of mapping-technology and its application to understanding dynamic landscapes. She has applied her technological expertise to crucial problems across the state, such as understanding and documenting wildfires, tracking and predicting forest diseases, improving agriculture and water usage, and climate change. She details this work in nearly 200 scholarly articles. She is Director of the ANR Statewide Program in Informatics and Geographic Information Systems (IGIS), which is a UC program dedicated to providing access to cutting-edge mapping technology to the UC and ANR network of academics, students, staff, faculty, and the public. If you are interested in learning more, the IGIS hosts many workshops that deal with geospatial technologies, including the annual DroneCamp.

The Interwebs: My CV / my Google Scholar page. A cool interview about me from the Women in GIS website.

Highlights

  • Author of nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles in spatial data science emphasizing the use of drones, lidar, participatory science, and spatial modeling to understand change in California’s urban, wild, and agricultural landscapes

  • PI or Co-PI for over $5M in research grants in the last 5 years

  • Supervisor and mentor of 18 Ph.D. students as major advisor and 8 post-docs  

  • Invited speaker at national and international venues, including keynote speaker at numerous events

  • Speaker at 7 UC DroneCamps (2017-2023)

  • Director, ANR Statewide Program in Informatics and Geographic Information Systems (IGIS)

  • Recipient of numerous awards including the Western Extension Directors Association Award of Excellence and the Excellence in Education award from the California Geographic Information Association

  • Inducted into three Athletic Halls of Fame for Water Polo: Berkeley High School Athletics Hall of Fame (2008), UC Berkeley California Athletics Hall of Fame (2007), and USA Water Polo Hall of Fame (2004)

My road back to Berkeley

I grew up in Berkeley, went to the great BHS (and played polo: Go Jackets!), and went to Cal (and played polo: Go Bears!) for a B.A. in Geography (with a year abroad at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, and a stint on the Great Britain National team: Go Britannia!). Since mapping was not big at Cal in the 80s, I went to Cal State Hayward to get a Certificate in Cartography (at which time I was also an intern at the National Mapping Division of the USGS in Menlo Park). With my love of all things GIS revealed, I left the state to get a M.A. in Geography from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Colorado in Boulder. After grad school I was a National Research Council postdoc at the National Marine Fisheries Service lab in Beaufort NC. After a short visit as a lecturer in the Geography department at San Diego State University I came back to the city by the bay and joined ESPM in 1999. I played for the USA Water Polo team in 3 World Championships (Go USA!), and I retired from the USA Water Polo team in December 1998. I don’t play polo any more, but I am Faculty Liaison for the Cal Women’s Water Polo team, which is a blast.

Academic Affiliations

Faculty in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management & Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Geography
University of California, Berkeley

Director of the ANR Statewide Program in Informatics and Geographic Information Systems (IGIS),
University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Mailing Address

130 Mulford Hall #3114
Berkeley, CA 94720-3114

Office

121 Mulford Hall
maggi@berkeley.edu