Dr. Darren Drewry

Info coming soon!

My current research spans projects focused on several topics. As part of two NASA science teams (SMAP and ECOSTRESS) my work focuses on simulating water use, productivity and energy exchange of agricultural systems making use of remote sensing observations as process constraints. A recently funded NSF CAREER award will allow my group to extend these simulation activities toward the development and application of regional 3-dimensional simulations of the interactions of the terrestrial land surface and the atmospheric boundary layer. 

The work conducted in my group also includes the use of remote sensing observations (UAV-based and proximal sensing) to quantify vegetation traits, stress and resource requirements. In this domain we primarily utilize thermal infrared observations that provide information on surface temperature and energy balance and visible through shortwave infrared reflectance that is a versatile observation related to the chemical constituents of vegetation.

Being at OSU has been great in terms of developing relationships and initiating collaborations with scientists working in areas that I had little familiarity with prior to coming to OSU. Two examples of such research areas include the study of optimizing plant growth in controlled environments, and the use of remote sensing in plant pathology.

Prior to arriving at OSU in January 2019 I spent several years as a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a NASA laboratory in Pasadena, California. It was there that I developed a skillset in using remote sensing observations to study vegetation. Prior to that my academic research background was focused on the study of how vegetated land surfaces and the atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide, water and energy through the development of detailed biophysical land surface models. 

Finding the path to the work I do today was somewhat tortuous, with degrees in physics, computer science and engineering. As a graduate student in computer science I was lucky to find a group that used technical approaches to understand ecosystem function and I immediately knew that was the area of science on which I wanted to focus my future research.

I will note that between my undergraduate and graduate studies I spent a little over two years in a small Pulaar village named Lobodou in southern Mauritania as a Peace Corps volunteer. This was an incredible experience and one I always enjoy discussing with students.

Info coming soon!

Info coming soon!

Info coming soon!

Info coming soon!