Forest Resources and Conservation

Dr. Geraldine Klarenberg, Lecturer

Dr Geraldine Klarenberg is a lecturer in Quantitative Data Science. She joined the School of Forest Resources and Conservation in August 2019.

Her work broadly focuses on data science and systems modeling, with an emphasis on exploratory data analyses, complexity of natural systems and interdisciplinarity. The availability of large and/or complex datasets and increased computational power holds great promise for research, but requires specific skill sets. Geraldine’s aim is to empower students and researchers with the basics, and more, if required.

Specific courses to be taught are still in development, and the emphasis will be on making students comfortable with coding, data management, reproducibility and analyses. This also encompasses data visualization, data preparation and management, exploratory data analysis techniques (including time series analysis) and potentially numerical ecology and machine learning techniques. In addition to teaching techniques and best practices, an important component will be to introduce learners to suites of (open access) tools and computing resources.

Geraldine’s appointment is 30% consulting, and students and faculty are encouraged to contact her to discuss coding, data management and analysis issues.

Before Geraldine joined SFRC she was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, where she analyzed tick and vegetation data from the NEON site at Ordway Swisher Biological Station.

For part of her PhD she was employed by the Suwannee River Water Management District as a Statistician, and later by SFRC Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences as a Biological Scientist to develop a bonefish population model.

After graduating with her Masters and before starting her PhD, she lived in South Africa. There she worked for an NGO on water issues and sustainable livelihoods, and as an independent consultant on (international) water management issues, livelihoods and climate change mitigation.

Personal website: www.geraldineklarenberg.com

Degrees:

PhD, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (with a certificate in Biological Systems Modeling), University of Florida, 2017
MSc+BSc, Tropical Land Use (Land and Water Engineering), Wageningen University, 2004

Teaching:

FNR5068 Research planning (with Wendell Cropper)