Dr Thiago Silva

Senior Lecturer

Biological and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA Scotland UK

Dr Thiago Silva

Contact details

About me

When I was first applying for university, I had a hard time deciding between Ecology and Computer Science - which is perhaps why I chose to specialise in ecosystems and functional ecology. It is only natural I am most fascinated by the 'algorithms' of nature. Throughout my career, I have continuously alternated between the (un)stable states of Ecologist, Geoscientist and Computer Scientist, but always with a focus on understanding what makes ecosystems work the way they do.

Nowadays I like to define myself as a "digital ecologist", but if you prefer, my official title is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Informatics. I have been at University of Stirling since 2019, where I teach or have taught Geomatics (GEOU9IS, ENMPG11), Plant Ecology (BIOU6PE), Statistics with R (SCIU7SR/ENMPG03) and Field Biology (SCIU3FB).

I am also a National Geographic Explorer, and an Associate Editor for Global Ecology and Biogeography.

My main ecological focus is on how plant communities and ecosystems assemble and function in complex, abiotic-driven environments like wetlands, dry forests, savannas, and high-elevation vegetation - and how they are being affected by the climate crisis. I am also a firm believer that ecology should focus a bit less on "species" and a bit more on functions and mechanisms.

As a geoscientist, I specialise in using Earth Observation (Remote Sensing), environmental sensing and other Earth science methods to capture how ecosystems are shaped by their environment. On my recent projects I have strongly focused on the use of laser scanning (LiDAR, terrestrial and airborne) to understand vegetation structure and plant architecture.

And as a computer scientist, I use 'traditional' statistics and machine learning, mostly coded using R and Python, to analyse, simulate and forecast ecological processes. I'm also looking for opportunities to use game design methods and tools to improve ecological modelling and visualisation, especially in combination with VR/AR/XR for data exploration and science education.

Lately I've also been really interested in developing specialised, open-source software and hardware to push the envelope of ecological research: drones, automated cameras, passive audio recorders and any low-cost sensing hardware built using single board computers, microcontrollers and 3D printing.

Below you can see a couple videos produced by National Geographic and Rolex highlighting our latest project in the Amazon wetlands:

CV

Education

  • 2003–¬2009Ph.D., Geography. University of Victoria, Canada.
  • 2002–¬2003M.Sc., Remote Sensing. National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil.
  • 1998–¬2002B.Sc. (Hons.), Biology. Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil.

Professional Experience

  • 2023 -presentSenior Lecturer. University of Stirling, UK. Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences.
  • 2019–2023Lecturer. University of Stirling, UK. Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences.
  • 2013–2019Assistant Professor. São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil. Geography Department, Institute for Geosciences and Mathematical Sciences-
  • 2010–2013Postdoctoral Researcher. National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil. Remote Sensing Division
  • 2009–2010Postdoctoral Researcher. University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), USA. Earth Research Institute.
  • 2009–2010Sessional Lecturer. Camosun College, Canada. Geography Department
  • 2009–2010Sessional Lecturer. University of Victoria, Canada. Geography Department
  • 2003–2009Teaching Assistant. University of Victoria, Canada. Geography Department

Grants and Awards

  • 2023-present : Natural Environment Research Council. Tree_PlaNat: Stakeholder perceptions and socio-ecological consequences of Treescape expansion through Planting and Natural colonisation.
  • 2021–present : National Geographic Society / Rolex Perpetual Planet. The future of Amazonian flooded forests: how will tree species respond to inundation changes?
  • 2021-2024: Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. Aerial monitoring of tidal erosion and sedimentation in Dalgety Bay, Fife, Scotland.
  • 2018– 2022": NSF DEB. Aquatic metabolism and carbon dioxide flux: Linking physical and biological processes in Amazon floodplains.
  • 2018–2020: Brazilian Council for Scientific Research (CNPq). Using managed pollinators to support conservation and sustainable açai production in the Amazon estuary region.
  • 2017–2019: National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration. Spatial and temporal carbon dynamics in Amazonian várzea forests: the role of flood dynamics and landscape heterogeneity.
  • 2013–2015: Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Assessment of PALSAR-2 SAR imagery for monitoring inundation and vegetation distribution, biomass and phenology in the Amazon floodplain wetlands.
  • 2017–2020: NASA. Methane fluxes from tropical aquatic systems: integration of measurements, hydrological and biogeochemical models and remote sensing.
  • 2014– 2019: São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). e-phenology: combining new technologies to monitor phenology from leaves to ecosystems.
  • 2017–2019São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). Application of UAV High-Resolution Digital Elevation Models in Geology and Geomorphology.
  • 2016–2019 USAID PEER. History and diversification of floodplain forest bird communities in Amazonia: towards an integrated conservation plan.
  • 2012–2017NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity /São Paulo Research Foundation BIOTA. Assembly and evolution of the Amazon biota: an integrative approach. 2013–2016Brazilian Council for Scientific Research (CNPq). Modeling the primary productivity of herbaceous vegetation in the Amazon floodplains: a multiscale approach.
  • 2014–2016Impacts of floods and droughts on aquatic macrophytes, forests, and fisheries of central Amazonian river floodplains. US$ 20,000 (US$ 1.M total). Role: Co-I. PI: Leandro Castello, Virginia Tech.
  • 2014-2015UNESP Competitive Research Startup Grant. Environmental applications of low cost unmanned aerial vehicles.
  • 2010–2013São Paulo Research Foundation postdoctoral fellowship. Modeling of the spatial dynamics of macrophyte communities in the Amazon floodplain.

Ecosystems ecology, functional plant ecology, global change biology, ecohydrology, macroecology and biogeography, remote sensing, GIS, spatial analysis, vegetation modeling, wetlands, Amazon, tropical ecosystems, seasonal ecosystems.

Research projects (1)

DARA Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy Phase 3
PI: Professor Evangelos Spyrakos
Funded by: UK Research and Innovation
–

Outputs (75)

Article

Centuries of compounding human influence on Amazonian forests

McMichael CNH, Bush MB, ter Steege H, Piperno DR, Gosling WD, Nascimento MN, Lombardo U, de Souza Coelho L, Leão do Amaral I, de Almeida Matos FD, de Andrade Lima Filho D, Castilho CV, Wittmann F, Guevara-Andino JE, Magnusson WE, Salomão RP, Phillips OL, Cardenas Revilla JD, Irume MV, Pires Martins M, Fernandez Piedade MT, Ferreira Ramos J, Pitman NCA, Luize BG, Moraes de Leão Novo EM, Núñez Vargas P, Sanna Freire Silva T, Martins Venticinque E, Manzatto AG, Farias Costa Reis N, Casula KR, Honorio Coronado EN, Montero JC, Schöngart J, Castaño Arboleda N, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Zartman CE, Vasquez R, Mostacedo B, Terborgh J, Demarchi LO, Assis RL, Brilhante de Medeiro M, Costa Quaresma A, Simon MF, Andrade A, Camargo JL, Feldpausch TR, Killeen TJ, Laurance WF, Laurance SGW, Maniguaje Rincón L, de Sousa Farias E, Nascimento HEM, Barçante Ladvocat Cintra B, Baker TR, Oliveira Feitosa Y, Mogollón HF, Araujo-Murakami A, Brienen R, Lopes MA, Lima Magalhães JL, Lima de Queiroz H, Comiskey JA, Marimon BS, Marimon-Junior BH, Damasco G, Draper FC, García-Villacorta R, Lopes A, Vicentini A, Cornejo Valverde F, Alonso A, Dallmeier F, Ferreira LV, Gomes VHF, P. de Aguiar DP, Carvalho FA, Gribel R, Petratti Pansonato M, Aymard C. GA, Fine PVA, Licona JC, Villa Zegarra BE, Vos VA, Arroyo L, Cerón C, Silveira M, Stropp J, Daly D, Milliken W, Pardo Molina G, Ríos Paredes M, Barlow J, Berenguer E, Dantas do Amaral D, Ferreira J, Jimenez EM, Klitgaard B, Mora MCP, Peres CA, Stevenson PR, Dexter KG, Di Fiore A, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Marcelo Pena JL, Pennington T, de Oliveira Pereira L, Phillips JF, Rivas-Torres G, Hildebrand Pv, Costa Noronha J, Marques Barbosa E, Rodrigues Barbosa F, de Matos Bonates LC, de Sá Carpandeo R, Dávila Doza HP, Fuentes A, Zárate Gómez R, Gonzales T, Gallardo Gonzales GP, Malhi Y, de Andrade Miranda IP, Mozombite Pinto LF, Prieto A, Rodrigues DdJ, Rudas A, Tello JS, Vela CIA, Albuquerque BW, Cano A, Holmgren M, Trindade Nascimento M, Oliveira AA, Rocha M, Ruschel AR, Vizoni Scudeller V, Sierra R, Silman MR, Silva N, Tirado M, Umaña MN, Vriesendorp C, Baider C, Balslev H, Linares-Palomino R, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Parada GA, Alexiades MN, Farfan-Rios W, Garcia-Cabrera K, Palacios Cuenca W, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Ramirez Arevalo F, Sampaio AF, Valderrama Sandoval EH, Valenzuela Gamarra L, Veiga Carim MdJ, da Silva Guimarães JR, Pipoly JJ, Coelho de Souza F, Carneiro Guedes M, de Toledo JJ, Campelo W, Henkel TW, Molino J, Barbosa Pedrosa Costa J, Guimarães Vieira IC, Sabatier D, Duque A, Zuleta D, Trindade T, Tamanaha EK, de Almeida FO & Feeley KJ (2025) Centuries of compounding human influence on Amazonian forests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122 (47), Art. No.: e2514040122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2514040122

Article

Functional composition of the Amazonian tree flora and forests

ter Steege H, Poorter L, Aguirre-Gutiérrez J, Fortunel C, Magnusson WE, Phillips OL, Pos E, Luize BG, Baraloto C, Guevara JE, Endara M, Baker TR, Umaña MN, van der Sande M & Silva TSF (2025) Functional composition of the Amazonian tree flora and forests. Communications Biology, 8, Art. No.: 355. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07768-8

Article

Phylogenetic conservatism in the relationship between functional and demographic characteristics in Amazon tree taxa

Sanchez‐Martinez P, Dexter KG, Draper FC, Baraloto C, Leão do Amaral I, de Souza Coelho L, de Almeida Matos FD, de Andrade Lima Filho D, Salomão RP, Wittmann F, Castilho CV, de Jesus Veiga Carim M, Guevara JE, Phillips OL & Freire Silva TS (2025) Phylogenetic conservatism in the relationship between functional and demographic characteristics in Amazon tree taxa. Functional Ecology, 39 (1), pp. 181-198. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14700

Article

Floodplain forests drive fruit-eating fish diversity at the Amazon Basin-scale

Correa SB, Coronado-Franco KV, Jézéquel C, Cantarute Rodrigues A, Evans KO, Granger JJ, Ter Steege H, Leão do Amaral I, de Souza Coelho L, Wittmann F, de Almeida Matos FD, de Andrade Lima Filho D, Salomão RP, Castilho CV & Sanna Freire Silva T (2025) Floodplain forests drive fruit-eating fish diversity at the Amazon Basin-scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122 (3), Art. No.: e2414416122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2414416122

Article

The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora

Luize BG, Tuomisto H, Ekelschot R, Dexter KG, Amaral ILd, Coelho LdS, Matos FDdA, Lima Filho DdA, Salomão RP, Wittmann F, Castilho CV, Carim MdJV, Guevara JE, Phillips OL & Silva TSF (2024) The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora. Communications Biology, 7, Art. No.: 1240. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06937-5

Conference Paper (published)

Monitoring temporal trends to assess infestation of water hyacinth in Lake Victoria using PolSAR

Isundwa F, Simpson M, Akbari V, Datta A, Nagendra P, Pranuthi G, Silva T, Srikanth R & Marino A (2024) Monitoring temporal trends to assess infestation of water hyacinth in Lake Victoria using PolSAR. In: EUSAR 2024; 15th European Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar, Munich, 23.04.2024-26.04.2024. VDE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10659438

Article

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities

Luize BG, Bauman D, ter Steege H, Palma‐Silva C, do Amaral IL, de Souza Coelho L, de Almeida Matos FD, de Andrade Lima Filho D, Salomão RP, Wittmann F, Castilho CV, de Jesus Veiga Carim M, Guevara JE, Phillips OL & Silva TSF (2024) Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities. Journal of Biogeography, 51 (7), pp. 1163-1184. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14816

Article

How much inundation occurs in the Amazon River basin?

Fleischmann AS, Papa F, Fassoni-Andrade A, Melack JM, Wongchuig S, Paiva RCD, Hamilton SK, Fluet-Chouinard E, Barbedo R, Aires F, Al Bitar A, Bonnet M, Coe M, Ferreira-Ferreira J & Silva TSF (2022) How much inundation occurs in the Amazon River basin?. Remote Sensing of Environment, 278, Art. No.: 113099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.113099

Letter

Surviving as a young scientist in Brazil

Silva CHLJ, Moura YM, Pessôa ACM, Trevisan DP, Mendes FS, Reis JBC, Picoli MCA, Wiederkehr NC, Carvalho NS, Dalagnol R, Kuck TN, Rosan TM, Silva TSF, Liesenberg V & Bispo PC (2021) Surviving as a young scientist in Brazil. Science, 374 (6570), p. 948. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm8160

Article

Concessões em Áreas Protegidas: Uma Análise dos Modelos Estadunidense, Chileno e a Proposta Para o Estado de São Paulo (BRA)

Fornazari T, Daunt ABP & Silva TSF (2021) Concessões em Áreas Protegidas: Uma Análise dos Modelos Estadunidense, Chileno e a Proposta Para o Estado de São Paulo (BRA) [Concessions in protected areas: An analysis of USA, Chilean models and the proposal for the state of Sao Paulo (Bra)]. Revista Geoaraguaia, 11 (2), pp. 109-128. https://periodicoscientificos.ufmt.br/ojs/index.php/geo/article/view/13062

Article

The shadow of the Balbina dam: A synthesis of over 35 years of downstream impacts on floodplain forests in Central Amazonia

Schongart J, Wittmann F, de Resende AF, Assahira C, Lobo GdS, Neves JRD, da Rocha M, Mori GB, Quaresma AC, Demarchi LO, Albuquerque BW, Feitosa YO, Costa GdS, Feitoza GV & Silva TSF (2021) The shadow of the Balbina dam: A synthesis of over 35 years of downstream impacts on floodplain forests in Central Amazonia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 31 (5), pp. 1117-1135. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3526

Article

Beta diversity of stream insects differs between boreal and subtropical regions, but land use does not generally cause biotic homogenization

Petsch DK, Saito VS, Landeiro VL, Silva TSF, Bini LM, Heino J, Soininen J, Tolonen KT, Jyrkänkallio-Mikkola J, Pajunen V, Siqueira T & Melo AS (2021) Beta diversity of stream insects differs between boreal and subtropical regions, but land use does not generally cause biotic homogenization. Freshwater Science, 40 (1), pp. 53-64. https://doi.org/10.1086/712565

Article

Characterization of chlorophyll fluorescence, absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, and reflectance-based vegetation index spectroradiometer measurements

Merrick T, Jorge MLSP, Silva TSF, Pau S, Rausch J, Broadbent EN & Bennartz R (2020) Characterization of chlorophyll fluorescence, absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, and reflectance-based vegetation index spectroradiometer measurements. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 41 (17), pp. 6755-6782. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2020.1750731

Article

Biased-corrected richness estimates for the Amazonian tree flora

ter Steege H, Prado PI, de Lima RAF, Pos E, de Souza Coelho L, de Andrade Lima Filho D, Salomão RP, Amaral IL, de Almeida Matos FD, Castilho CV, Phillips OL, Guevara JE, Veiga Carim MdJ, Cardena Lopez D & Silva TSF (2020) Biased-corrected richness estimates for the Amazonian tree flora. Scientific Reports, 10, Art. No.: 10130. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66686-3

Article

A new era in forest restoration monitoring

de Almeida DRA, Stark SC, Valbuena R, Broadbent EN, Silva TSF, de Resende AF, Ferreira MP, Cardil A, Silva CA, Amazonas N, Zambrano AMA & Brancalion PHS (2020) A new era in forest restoration monitoring. Restoration Ecology, 28 (1), pp. 8-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13067

Article

Species Distribution Modelling: Contrasting presence-only models with plot abundance data

Gomes VHF, IJff SD, Raes N, Amaral IL, Salomão RP, de Souza Coelho L, de Almeida Matos FD, Castilho CV, de Andrade Lima Filho D, López DC, Guevara JE, Magnusson WE, Phillips OL, Wittmann F & Silva TSF (2018) Species Distribution Modelling: Contrasting presence-only models with plot abundance data. Scientific Reports, 8 (1), Art. No.: 1003. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-18927-1

Conference Paper (published)

Semantic segmentation of vegetation images acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles using an ensemble of ConvNets

Nogueira K, Dos Santos JA, Cancian L, Borges BD, Silva TSF, Morellato LP & Torres RdS (2017) Semantic segmentation of vegetation images acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles using an ensemble of ConvNets. In: 2017 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Proceedings. 2017 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Fort Worth, TX, USA, 23.07.2017-28.07.2017. Piscataway, NJ, USA: IEEE, pp. 3787-3790. https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2017.8127824

Book Chapter

Remote Sensing of Wetland Types: Tropical Flooded Forests

Hess LL, Costa M, Evans TL, Silva TSF, Chapman BD & Milne T (2016) Remote Sensing of Wetland Types: Tropical Flooded Forests. In: Finlayson C, Everard M, Irvine K, McInnes R, Middleton B, van Dam A & Davidson N (eds.) The Wetland Book. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6172-8_303-2

Article

Linking plant phenology to conservation biology

Morellato LPC, Alberton B, Alvarado ST, Borges BD, Buisson E, Camargo MGG, Cancian LF, Carstensen DW, Escobar DFE, Leite PTP, Mendoza I, Rocha NMWB, Soares NC, Silva TSF & Staggemeier VG (2016) Linking plant phenology to conservation biology. Biological Conservation, 195, pp. 60-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.12.033

Article

Land cover classification of Lago Grande de Curuai floodplain (Amazon, Brazil) using multi-sensor and image fusion techniques

de Almeida Furtado LF, Silva TSF, Fernandes PJF & de Moraes Novo EML (2015) Land cover classification of Lago Grande de Curuai floodplain (Amazon, Brazil) using multi-sensor and image fusion techniques [Classificação da cobertura da terra na planície de inundação do Lago Grande de Curuai (Amazônia, Brasil) utilizando dados multisensor e fusão de imagens]. Acta Amazonica, 45 (2), pp. 195-202. https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392201401439

Article

Combining ALOS/PALSAR derived vegetation structure and inundation patterns to characterize major vegetation types in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, Central Amazon floodplain, Brazil

Ferreira-Ferreira J, Silva TSF, Streher AS, Affonso AG, de Almeida Furtado LF, Forsberg BR, Valsecchi J, Queiroz HL & de Moraes Novo EML (2015) Combining ALOS/PALSAR derived vegetation structure and inundation patterns to characterize major vegetation types in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, Central Amazon floodplain, Brazil. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 23 (1), pp. 41-59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-014-9359-1

Article

Identificação da dinâmica espaço-temporal para estimar área cultivada de soja a partir de imagens MODIS no Rio Grande do Sul

dos Santos JS, Fontana DC, Silva TSF & Rudorff BFT (2014) Identificação da dinâmica espaço-temporal para estimar área cultivada de soja a partir de imagens MODIS no Rio Grande do Sul [Identification of the spatial and temporal dynamics for estimating soybean crop area from MODIS images in the Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil]. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agricola e Ambiental, 18 (1), pp. 54-63. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-43662014000100008

Conference Paper (published)

Spatial-Temporal pattern of forest regeneration in areas deforested in the Eastern Amazon

Lima A, Moscardo A, Silva TSF, Leitold V, Coura S, Aragão LEOECD, Rudorff BFT, Formaggio AR & Shimabukuro YE (2012) Spatial-Temporal pattern of forest regeneration in areas deforested in the Eastern Amazon. In: volume 7. 2012 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Munich, 22.07.2012-27.07.2012. IEEE, pp. 6283-6286. https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2012.6352695

Teaching

GEOU9IS - Geographical Information Systems ENMPG11 - Geomatics SCIU7SR / ENMPG03 - Statistics with R BIOU6PE - Plant Ecology (past) SCIU4T4 - Statistical Techniques (past)

Research programmes

Research centres/groups

Research themes