Welcoming our new Group Leaders 

For the next year, our three new group leaders, Vance Russell, Ahmed Junaid, and Elsa Carla De Grandi help curate a vibrant space for community and collaboration in the Geospatial community. If you see them around WILDLABS, please give them a warm welcome and get in touch!

Dr Elsa Carla De Grandi  

@elsa  is an experienced remote sensing specialist with over a decade of expertise in the application of remote sensing, particularly in vegetation mapping and monitoring. She holds a BSc in Physical Geography and an MSc in Remote Sensing from Aberystwyth University, as well as a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, UK. Her doctoral research focused on developing innovative methodologies for detecting changes in forest structure within the tropical forests of Indonesia and Central Africa.

Throughout her career, Elsa has accumulated extensive experience in various roles across ecology consultancies, the remote sensing industry, and academia. These diverse experiences have provided her with a comprehensive understanding of the use of remote sensing across a range of applications. She worked several years in industry as an Earth Observation Engineer and Project Manager, where she managed projects and provided technical expertise at the intersection of remote sensing and Artificial Intelligence.

In 2022, Elsa joined Fauna & Flora (F&F), an international conservation NGO, where she is leading activities focused on the use of remote sensing for Nature-based Solutions projects across F&F's portfolio.

Vance Russell

@VAR1  has nearly 40 years of experience working in forest science & management, rewilding, biodiversity conservation, agricultural landscapes, restoration, and natural resources management. He is the principal and founder of the forest health and geospatial firm 3point.xyz. Vance was the California Director of Programs for the National Forest Foundation, where he managed, led, and funded community forestry projects. Before joining the National Forest Foundation, he was director of Audubon California’s Landowner Stewardship Program, working with farmers and ranchers to restore habitat compatible with existing agricultural operations. He managed the 7,800-acre Bobcat Ranch and 3,000-acre Mayacamas Mountains Reserves in Northern, California. Vance is the former Board Chair of Groundswell International, is a trustee for the South Downs National Park Trust, co-founder and board of directors for the Wild Farm Alliance, and serves on the Rewilding Leadership Council for the Rewilding Institute. Vance received his M.S. degree in Forest Science and Natural Resources Management from Cornell University and a B.A. in Biology from the College of Wooster. He recently published Free & Open Source Geospatial Tools, a resource for open source geospatial software, analysis, and solutions.

Ahmed Junaid

@ahmedjunaid is a Zoologist, Ecologist and Conservation Biologist from Pakistan. During his bachelor’s studies at the University of Sargodha, Pakistan, he conducted fieldwork in entomology, documenting various insect species from different regions of the country. He completed his Master of Philosophy in Zoology from the Department of Zoology, Wildlife & Fisheries, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Pakistan in 2023. During his master’s program, he engaged in various research activities, including documenting herpetofauna, studying mammal ecology, analyzing species distribution, and evaluating research studies on national parks across different regions of Punjab Province, Pakistan. He has a strong interest in researching illegal wildlife trade. He is also highly enthusiastic about applying GIS software in wildlife conservation. Currently, he is working in different research projects focused on biodiversity conservation across different regions of Pakistan. He is a research fellow at Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, Pakistan since November 2023. He is also a member of SAVE THE FROGS! (California, USA) and serves as the country coordinator for the organization in Pakistan. 

About the Group Leadership Programme

The WILDLABS Group Leadership Programme is a volunteer-based, year-long cohort programme that invites WILDLABS community members to curate vibrant spaces where people in conservation tech can get help, connect with peers, find support, and meaningfully engage within a niche group. This year's cohort is running from July 2024 to July 2025. To learn more about the Group Leadership Programme, review the handbook here.

We would love to hear from you

If you want to learn more about the Geospatial community and how you can get involved, reach out to Ahmed, Vance, Elsa, or Alex. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas about growing the Geospatial community in the discussion thread below!