Laven Naidoo completed his PhD in Geoinformatics at the University of Pretoria in 2017 and specialised in using Earth Observation technologies to monitor savannah, forest and wetland vegetation. He is interested in using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for mapping and modelling woody structure in South African Savannahs. He has expanded his areas of interest in savannah tree species mapping using hyperspectral and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) airborne sensors and assessing soil moisture and grass biomass in Afromontane wetlands using SAR technologies. Within the GCRO, he will expand his research into the development of advanced AI/machine learning techniques, geospatial data science approaches, and novel remote sensing applications within the urban environment and Sustainable Development Goals space. He is also currently a Y-rated scientist by the South African National Research Foundation.