Xiaofan Shen is a first-year MESc student at the Yale School of the Environment (YSE), working under the guidance of Dr. Xuhui Lee. She holds a Bachelor of Urban Forestry from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a Bachelor of Forestry from Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University. Xiaofan’s research focuses on urban resilience, urban heat island effects, and the application of GIS and remote sensing to address environmental challenges in urban areas. She is passionate about creating sustainable, inclusive urban spaces and is excited to contribute to meaningful environmental solutions during her time at YSE.
Xiaofan participated in several projects that combined her interest in urban greening and geospatial analysis. One notable project was her involvement in the Maximizing Street Tree Canopy initiative in Vancouver, where she applied geospatial tools to analyze urban vegetation and propose strategies for improving green coverage. And this initiative has been included in several neighborhood development plans to enhance urban greening and mitigate the effects of urban heat islands.