Autonomy · Aerial · Extreme environments
I build autonomous drone systems that map and monitor environments people can't easily reach
Currently a research fellow at QUT Centre for Robotics, working on Antarctic biodiversity AI and UAV-based search and rescue.
About
From the lab to some of the most remote places on Earth
My work sits at the intersection of robotics, computer vision, and remote sensing. I deploy drones across Antarctic protected areas, Australian conservation sites, and time-critical operations like search and rescue, building autonomy that has to work the first time, without a reliable network or a second chance.
Before QUT I trained as a mechatronic engineer in Bogotá. I hold a BEng (Mechatronics) and a PhD in robotics and autonomous systems from QUT.
Recent work
Selected publications
A green fingerprint of Antarctica: Drones, hyperspectral imaging, and machine learning for moss and lichen classification
Reducing Object Detection Uncertainty from RGB and Thermal Data for UAV Outdoor Surveillance
Drone-Based Autonomous Motion Planning System for Outdoor Environments under Object Detection Uncertainty
In the press
Recent news
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Research showcased on ABC News
On Antarctic moss as a climate signal, and what drone-based monitoring reveals about ecological change.
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Bunger Hills field campaign on SBS News
Targeted UAV surveys in remote Antarctica to learn more about biodiversity in the most extreme corners of the continent.
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Antarctic ecosystem mapping workflow on QUT News
A workflow combining drones, advanced imaging, and machine learning to map vegetation in protected Antarctic regions.
Collaborate
Working on something at the edge of what drones can do?
I'm open to collaborations across academia, industry, and government, especially around autonomy, remote sensing, and time-critical applications.