Ian has been with the Gibbs Land Use and Environment lab as a GIS analyst and cartographer since 2014. Before joining the lab, he received his undergraduate degree from the UW-Madison in International Studies focusing on the global environment as well as completing the GIS certificate program. During his time with the Gibbs lab, he has supported and lead research on human environment interactions across many geographies including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and the United States. Much of Ian’s research investigates how public and private policies promote or inhibit conservation of the natural landscape based on the expansion of agricultural commodities such as soy, cattle, and oil palm.

Before joining the Gibbs lab, Ian spent the previous year interning on a project to map and analyze global urban extent using MODIS 500-m data and also helped create an atlas of urban expansion for the World Bank.

When Ian is not working, he enjoys spending time with his partner Cate and their dog Bob while also exploring the great outdoors through biking, camping, or playing disc golf. He also likes keeping up with the latest in science, technology, and the environment.