Lola Fatoyinbo is a forest and coastal ecologist, remote sensing scientist, and science communicator. She studies flooded forests, including mangroves and peatlands, from the ground and space, with the aim of highlighting the importance of often overlooked and understudied ecosystems. Fatoyinbo has worked on characterizing the vulnerability and response of mangroves to disturbances from land use and climate change worldwide. She has developed new remote sensing instruments and new applications of satellite data to carbon monitoring and biodiversity conservation. She is a research scientist at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Fatoyinbo was awarded the U.S. Presidential Early Career Award in Sciences and Engineering in 2012 and the 2024 Royal Geographical Society Esmond B. Martin Prize for her efforts on merging scientific priorities with advanced technology to develop innovative applications for ecosystem science. Fatoyinbo’s work has been featured on international print and broadcast media, including the BBC, PBS, CBC and The New York Times.
