“I’m grateful and humbled to be promoted to Full Professor at UC Merced. This journey has been shaped by amazing students, colleagues, and collaborators — and by the privilege of working in and for the San Joaquin Valley and California.” —Dr. Hestir
As an international expert in environmental remote sensing, her work supports biodiversity, aquatic ecology, water quality, and large-scale monitoring — from the San Joaquin Valley to global NASA missions.
Prof. Hestir has served as the aquatic lead for NASA’s BioSCape campaign, contributes as a subject matter expert for the Surface Biology and Geology Mission, and continues to advance science through roles on NASA’s biodiversity, ocean color, and ecological conservation teams, as well as NSF’s IoT for Precision Agriculture.
Hestir’s rapid ascent to full professor has been fueled by creative research and engaged educational opportunities that serve all learners. She joined UC Merced in 2017 as an assistant professor, became an associate professor in 2019, and in August 2023 was appointed Faculty Director of CITRIS at UC Merced. CITRIS specializes in outreach programs that make a difference in student career paths and access to technology.