Dr. Margaret Kalacska

Biography

Margaret Kalacska is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at McGill University. Her current research contributes to the advancement of remote sensing applications in environmental science, focusing on natural hazard monitoring and response. In her lab, she extensively uses Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) along with airborne hyperspectral remote sensing methods. Her work incorporates satellite imagery such as PlanetScope, Landsat, and Sentinel-2, along with LiDAR and thermal imaging to investigate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, as well as natural hazards including wildfires and volcanoes. Kalacska is considered a world leader in RPAS hyperspectral imaging. Through collaboration with the National Research Council Canada’s Flight Research Laboratory, she has contributed to the development of a fully operational RPAS-Hyperspectral Imaging system. Currently, she engages in the Fish + Forest project, which studies aquatic habitats and endemic endangered ichthyofauna in Brazil. Her research also addresses large-scale land-use change and biodiversity conservation via satellite imagery, and she is involved in various interdisciplinary projects across several countries including Canada, Brazil, and Costa Rica. Trained at the University of Alberta, she has received multiple accolades including the Fessenden Prize for Science Innovation from McGill University in 2014 and the Silver Medal from the Canadian Remote Sensing Society in 2018.

Research Interests

Awards