Xiaofan Shen is a second-year Master of Environmental Science (MESc) student at the Yale School of the Environment, advised by Professor Xuhui Lee. She holds a Bachelor of Urban Forestry from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Forestry from Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University. Her academic work focuses on the intersections of urban resilience, climate adaptation, and geospatial science, with an emphasis on applying GIS and remote sensing to understand how cities can better respond to environmental challenges.
At YCGS, Xiaofan has developed interactive StoryMaps and other geospatial visualization tools to support decision-making and strengthen community resilience. Her current research examines how variations in urban morphology influence heat exposure, with the broader aim of advancing strategies for urban resilience in rapidly growing cities. She has also contributed to projects that integrate nonprofit and funding data for strategic planning and supported conservation initiatives that connect field data collection with dashboards and spatial analysis. More broadly, Xiaofan is committed to applying geospatial data science to address complex environmental and urban challenges. By combining GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis, she seeks to create tools and insights that inform sustainable planning and foster more resilient and inclusive cities.
