Keiko Nomura

Branch: Biospheric Science Branch (SGE)

Email: keiko.nomura@nasa.gov

Bio

Dr. Keiko Nomura is an Earth system scientist and strategic leader who is passionate about operationalizing science to advance humanity. She brings a unique perspective to NASA that combines global strategy in multilateral organizations (UNEP/UNDP) with consulting and executive leadership in the private sector. Previously serving as VP of Science & Technology for a tech startup, she built biodiversity and asset risk models tailored for global finance, retail, and infrastructure sectors.

At NASA, she is an integral part of the NASA Earth eXchange (NEX), a high-performance collaboratory that integrates petabytes of Earth science data with massive compute power. She also serves as Co-lead of the Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation (BDEC) Virtual Center, unifying distributed scientific efforts across multiple NASA centers and external partners to move faster and deliver greater impact.

Dr. Nomura is originally from Japan, earned her PhD in Scotland, and is now based in California, where she has been engaging the private sector in the rapidly evolving GeoAI landscape. She works to define NASA’s unique contribution to this space by anchoring innovation to the agency’s legacy of rigorous science, calibrated measurements, and trusted observational data. 

Education

Ph.D. in Geography (Remote Sensing), School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, UK, 2019

B.A. in English & English Literature, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Kyoto, Japan, 2000

— with Certificate in Philosophy (with Distinction), Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, USA, 2001

Professional Activities

• Co-lead, BDEC Virtual Center & Research Scientist, NEX | NASA Ames Research Center (Current)
• Vice President of Science & Technology | Climate Engine (2021–2024)
• Analytics Lead | Space Intelligence Ltd. (2019–2021)
• Programme Officer (UN-REDD) | United Nations Environment Programme (2014–2016)
• Programme Officer & Climate Change Consultant | United Nations Development Programme (2011–2014)
• Senior Consultant | London Economics International LLC (2004–2010)

Publications

• Nomura, K., Pettinari, M. L., Abatzoglou, J. T., Pritchard, I., & Shah, A. (2023). Understanding wildfire risk: Combining weather and fuel information. Presentation at AGU Fall Meeting 2023, San Francisco, California. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm23/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1318540
• Nomura, K. (2023). Cloud-based remote sensing with Google Earth Engine: Fundamentals and applications (Chapter F5.1: Raster/Vector conversions).
• Nomura, K., & Mitchard, E. T. A. (2018). More than meets the eye: Using Sentinel-2 to map small plantations in complex forest landscapes. Remote Sensing, 10(11), 1693. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10111693
• Nomura, K., Mitchard, E. T. A., Bowers, S. J., & Patenaude, G. (2019). Missed carbon emissions from forests: Comparing countries’ estimates submitted to UNFCCC to biophysical estimates. Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab07b5
• Nomura, K., Mitchard, E. T. A., Patenaude, G., Bastide, J., Oswald, P., & Nwe, T. (2019). Oil palm concessions in southern Myanmar consist mostly of unconverted forest. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-50280-0
• Nomura, K., & Enters, T. (2013). Breaking stereotypes: REDD+ finance, or where’s the money? UN-REDD Programme. https://www.un-redd.org/news/breaking-stereotypes-redd-finance-or-where-money
• Nomura, K. (2013). Cambodia CG selection process. UN-REDD Programme. https://www.un-redd.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/Cambodia%20CG%20selection%20process_21Nov2013_final.pdf

Reports & Conference Presentations

• Nomura, K. (2025). Advancing Scalable Biodiversity Monitoring with Partnerships and Edge Computing: NASA and California’s 30×30 Mission. Poster Presentation at AGU Fall Meeting 2025, New Orleans, LA. https://agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1880076
• Nomura, K., Pettinari, M. L., Abatzoglou, J. T., Pritchard, I., & Shah, A. (2023). Understanding wildfire risk: Combining weather and fuel information. Presentation at AGU Fall Meeting 2023, San Francisco, CA. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm23/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1318540
• Nomura, K. (2023). Cloud-based remote sensing with Google Earth Engine: Fundamentals and applications (Chapter F5.1: Raster/Vector conversions).
• Nomura, K., & Enters, T. (2013). Breaking stereotypes: REDD+ finance, or where’s the money? UN-REDD Programme. https://www.un-redd.org/news/breaking-stereotypes-redd-finance-or-where-money
• Nomura, K. (2013). Cambodia CG selection process. UN-REDD Programme. https://www.un-redd.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/Cambodia%20CG%20selection%20process_21Nov2013_final.pdf

Speaking Engagements, Media & Outreach

• Podcast Guest: Geomob Podcast, March 2026. Link
• Judge: NASA Space Apps Challenge, Aberdeen, MD, October 2025.
• Speaker: Measuring Business Impacts on Biodiversity and the Rise of Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. Presentation at Google Geo for Good Summit, October 2023.
• Panelist: “Power of the Pixel” panel, Pecora 22, October 2022. Link
• Speaker: EO Transformation, Living Planet Symposium, May 2022. Link
• Speaker: Space & Geospatial, KTN / Geospatial Virtual Pavilion for COP26, November 2021.
• Media Feature: “Missing Forests Are Messing With Climate Targets.” WIRED, October 2021. Link
• Recognition: Selected as one of 15 Leading Women in Machine Learning for Earth Observation (ML4EO), Radiant Earth Foundation, 2021. Link
• Featured Image: “Image of the Day,” Copernicus Holiday Special, December 2020. Link
• Panelist: Career Journeys of Women+ in Earth Engine. Google Geo for Good Summit, October 2020.
• Media Feature: “Myanmar risks losing forests to oil palm, but there’s time to pivot.” Mongabay Environmental News, November 2019. Link
• Media Feature: “The Case for SPACE.” Herald’s Business HQ Magazine, Summer 2019.
• Media Feature: “Concerns raised about REDD+ scheme to conserve forests.” Geographical (the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)), May 2019. 
• Radio Guest: “Earth from space: the biggest earth observation conference in the world, ESA’s Living Planet Symposium, kicks off in Milan.” Today Programme, BBC Radio 4, May 2019.
• Media Feature: “Brazil to Receive First-Ever Results-Based REDD+ Payment, but Concerns Remain.” Mongabay Environmental News, March 2019.  Link
• Award: Outstanding Reviewer for Environmental Research Letters, 2018.  Link