Karen Seto

New Haven

Karen Seto is Professor of Geography and Urbanization at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Her research focuses on urban land use change, forecasting urban growth, and environmental consequences of urban expansion. She has pioneered methods using satellite remote sensing to reconstruct historical patterns of urbanization and to develop projections of future urban expansion. She specializes in China and India, where she has conducted urbanization research for more than fifteen years. Professor Seto serves on a number of international and national scientific advisory committees: she is a Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, chapter on Human Settlements, Infrastructure and Spatial Planning, and Co-Chair of the Future Earth Project on Urbanization and Global Environmental Change. She was named an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow in 2009.