Dr. Krishna Vadrevu

Dr. Krishna P. Vadrevu is the manager of NASA’s Land Cover/Land Use Change (LCLUC) Program in the Earth Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate. The LCLUC Program advances understanding of how Earth’s land surface is changing, both the biophysical and anthropogenic processes driving those changes, and the implications for ecosystems, atmospheric composition, and sustainability. Central to the program is developing and applying satellite observations and innovative analytical and modeling approaches to reduce uncertainties in land-use/land-cover dynamics and their environmental consequences. 

Also, Dr. Vadrevu serves as a Remote Sensing Scientist at NASA’s Earth Science Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. His research focusses on land-use/land-cover change, fires, biomass-burning emissions, land–atmosphere interactions, and ecosystem sustainability. Dr. Vadrevu has authored over one hundred peer-reviewed publications and edited seven major Books, including Land Atmospheric Interactions (Springer, 2018), a two-volume Biomass Burning series (CRC Press, 2021), Remote Sensing of Agriculture in South/Southeast Asia (Springer, 2022), Vegetation Fires and Pollution in Asia (Springer, 2023), and a two-volume series on Land Use/Cover Changes in South/Southeast Asia (CRC Press, 2025). An additional book on Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) emissions is scheduled for publication in 2026. He has also led fifteen Special Issues in international journals and serves on the Editorial Board for seven peer-reviewed scientific journals. 

Dr. Vadrevu has played a major leadership role in international and regional collaborations. He leads NASA’s South/Southeast Asia Research Initiative (SARI), bringing together scientists from U.S., regional, and international institutions including academia, government, NGOs, and space agencies to address land-cover/land-use science questions and build technical expertise across the region. He previously served as the Fire Implementation Team Lead for the Global Observations of Forest and Land-use Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) program (2010–2016) and continues to contribute as a regional network coordinator. He is also a member of the NASA HARVEST consortium under Earth Action. 

Before joining NASA in 2016, Dr. Vadrevu held research positions at the University of Maryland and The Ohio State University, focusing on remote sensing of land use/cover changes, fires, agriculture, and sustainability. He earned his Ph.D. in 2000 at the National Remote Sensing Center of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), focusing on land-use, biodiversity, forest-cover dynamics, and ecosystem modeling. He continues to serve as Adjunct Professor serving on MS and Ph.D committees at the University of Maryland College Park. Through his scientific expertise, global partnerships, and leadership role, Dr. Vadrevu extends the LCLUC program’s U.S. focus and global reach, leveraging extensive connections across academic and non-academic spheres. 

Phone: 256-321-9492 
Email: krishna.p.vadrevu@nasa.gov