Our Lab

REBECCA SAUNDERS

Rebecca Saunders is a researcher at the Global Ecology Lab, James Cook University, where much of her work focuses on Google Earth Engine to map and monitor ecosystems around the world as part of the Global Ecosystems Atlas. Originally from Calgary, Canada, Rebecca is passionate about coastal ecosystems and combining her love of nature with technology to support global environmental understanding and protection.

Her interest in large-scale spatial analysis and conservation planning grew out of her Master of Marine Biology research at James Cook University, where she used remote sensing and global land cover data to map the areas surrounding the world's tidal wetlands,  known as coastal ecosystem frontiers. That work explored how land use in these zones could affect the ability of tidal wetlands to migrate inland in response to sea level rise.

Rebecca now brings this expertise to the Global Ecosystems Atlas, contributing to global-scale mapping efforts that help drive environmental understanding and protection. She has also been involved in the development of EcoViewer, a Google Earth Engine application built to support ecosystem data exploration and visualisation, which was entered in the GBIF Ebbe Nielson Competition. 

Email: rebecca.saunders1@jcu.edu.au
Office: The Science Place (142), Level 2