Hanan, Niall

Dr. Niall Hanan is a community and ecosystem ecologist with particular research interests in the ecological and biogeochemical dynamics of tropical and temperate grasslands and savannas. He approaches these subjects at a range of spatial and temporal scales, from detailed plot-based experimentation, to landscape-scale observations, to landscape, regional and continental scale remote sensing and modeling. His on-going research includes studies of coupled ecohydrological and social systems in the semi-arid grazing lands of the African Sahel, Africa-wide carbon cycle measurement, remote sensing and modeling, and studies of changing patterns of land use, access to resources and social conflict in agricultural and pastoral communities of West Africa.  Hanan’s research is currently supported via grants from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Earlier sponsors have included the Department of Energy (DOE), NOAA, National Geographic Society, and others. Hanan completed his PhD at Queen Mary College, London.