Every two years, ForestSAT awards a young scientist with the Thomas Hilker Early Career Scientist Award in honor of our dear friend and colleague who died unexpectedly at the age of 40 in 2016. Thomas was a well-loved colleague of many remote sensing researchers world-wide. He built a network of collaborators in Canada, the US, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. Thomas approached environmental questions and challenges with vigor and had an enormous curiosity and passion for science. Undertaking research, Thomas was respectful of others’ opinions, eager to share ideas and approaches, and recognized science was a collaborative endeavor. In his prematurely shortened career he was prolific, with many papers covering a wide range of research topics mirroring his broad interests in Earth Observation of terrestrial ecosystems.

By creating this award, the ForestSAT community aims to recognize early career scientists undertaking challenging research and starting to publish groundbreaking science. We recognize innovative individuals who we believe will become global leaders in the field. More importantly, these individuals engage in science collaboratively, with humility and kindness, which boosts spirits and fosters inclusivity and engagement from scientists within their field, as Thomas did.