Kelly Luis

Kelly Luis received her PhD in Marine Science & Technology at the University of Massachusetts-Boston (UMB). Her research focuses on developing remote sensing algorithms to understand the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on coastal and inland aquatic environments. She specifically focused on developing an open-source water clarity tool for water quality monitoring organizations to track overall water quality change. As a Native Hawaiian researcher, Kelly is deeply committed to increasing environmental data access for marginalized communities, and she believes building community driven remote sensing tools can aide these communities’ aquatic habitat conservation efforts.

During her time at UMB, Kelly has been selected as a Ford Foundation Fellow, a National Science Foundation – Integrative Graduate Education & Research Traineeship Fellow, and has served as an Associate Lecturer for “The Urban Ocean” , a place-based course she designed to connect students with Boston Harbor’s natural resources and history. In addition to her research, Kelly is the lead Girls Who Code instructor at the Grove Hall Branch of the Boston Public Library and the Career Development Coordinator for the Woods Hole Partnership Education Program. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from Columbia University and was born and raised on the island of Maui, Hawaii.