Alex Maingi

Project Title: Assessing the sensitivity of biodiversity indicators for detection of change in land cover classes

Overview: Alex Maingi is a Ph.D. researcher at Teagasc and UCD, studying how effectively land cover classes, as represented in the Irish National Land Cover Map 2018 (NLCM), can be used to monitor biodiversity and inform policy, including the EU Biodiversity Strategy and Ireland's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Using geospatial technologies, such as remote sensing, spatial modelling, and machine learning, his research develops robust methodologies for measuring changes in farmland habitat and biodiversity indicators. This includes simulating land management scenarios, evaluating biodiversity monitoring accuracy, and mapping farmland habitats to assess the effectiveness of policy-driven restoration efforts.

Alex holds an MSc in Applied Geospatial Science from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and a BSc in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), with expertise spanning GIS, remote sensing and machine learning. 

Prior to his Ph.D., Alex worked on projects involving urban sprawl monitoring and, crop yield prediction using satellite imagery. His current research seeks to improve Ireland’s biodiversity monitoring framework by integrating Earth observation data and policy-driven conservation measures.

Alex is passionate about using geospatial data to tackle global challenges in land-use planning, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity conservation. Outside of research, he prioritizes his faith, maintains an active lifestyle, and finds fulfilment in exploring new landscapes and engaging with diverse communities, and volunteering. 

Programme Area: Agrifood Business and Spatial Analysis Department

Supervisors: Dr. John Finn, Dr. Stuart Green, Dr. Jesko Zimmermann, Mr. Simon Leach and Dr Ainhoa González Del Campo.

Location: Teagasc Ashtown

Funding Source: Teagasc