Overview
current email at William & Mary jjswenson@wm.edu
Swenson is an Associate Professor at William & Mary in Data Science and also the director for the Center for Geospatial Analysis. Her research tracks changes in terrestrial Earth's living surface at the landscape to region scale with remote sensing and geospatial analysis. Her interest include: how patterns and canopy structure are effected by drought, afforestation, and deforestation, patterns and climate shifts of ecosystem biodiversity, and providing access to practitioners to remotely sensed data and analysis. Prior to her 15 years in Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment, she held positions in NGOs (NatureServe in DC, EcoCiencia in Quito, Ecuador), as well as in the US Federal Government (US Forest Service-Oregon, National Park Service-Colorado). Her research has been supported by NASA, NSF, USDA and other institutions. Current grants include NASA A.48 Commercial Satellite Program 2025-2027
Current Appointments & Affiliations
In the News
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Recent Publications
Satellite-based detection of unique sociocultural communities: the case of Mennonite colonies in Bolivia
Journal Article Remote Sensing Letters · March 4, 2026 Full text CiteA leaf-level field physiological tool linking non-invasive leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements applicable at larger ecophysiological scales.
Journal Article Tree physiology · January 2025 Full text CiteThe Relationship Between Maturation Size and Maximum Tree Size From Tropical to Boreal Climates.
Journal Article Ecology letters · September 2024 The fundamental trade-off between current and future reproduction has long been considered to result in a tendency for species that can grow large to begin reproduction at a larger size. Due to the prolonged time required to reach maturity, estimates of tr ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
DISES RCN: SWISLR - Saltwater Intrusion and Sea Level Rise in rural landscapes: Assessing Risk and Identifying Mitigation and Adaptation Options for Rural Coastal Plain Communities.
ResearchSteering Committee Member · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2021 - 2025Collaborative Research: Combining NEON and remotely sensed habitats to determine climate impacts on community dynamics
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2018 - 2022The bridge from canopy condition to continental scale biodiversity forecasts, including the rare species of greatest conservation concern
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 2020 - 2022View All Grants