Dr. Kyle R Kovach is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with Dr. Phil A. Townsend in the department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. He works primarily on two funded projects which include NASA ABoVE (Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment) and NSF NEON (National Ecological Observation Network). Both utilize ground sampled foliar traits to create airborne hyperspectral imagery models to predict traits at larger scales. In his doctoral work, he used drone-based hyperspectral and lidar remote sensing in experimental biodiversity-ecosystem function tree plantations to assess biochemical and morphological properties of trees to reveal functional variation. In his masters, he worked to build drones and sensor systems for ecological applications, as well as predictive models for harvest analysis in cooperation with the Cary Institute on a USDA grant.