Prof.dr.ir. J.a. Zevenbergen

Biography

Prof. dr. ir. Alfred Stein (1958) is professor in Spatial Statistics and Image Analysis. He received his MSc in mathematics and information science, with a specialization in applied statistics from Eindhoven University of Technology. He obtained a PhD in 1991 at Wageningen University on spatial statistics. He started his career at the soil science and geology department of Wageningen university. In 1995 he was appointed a visiting professor at the Faculty ITC, in the soils department. In 1999 this changed to the department of spatial data acquisition. In 2000 he was appointed a professor at the chair of mathematical and statistical models in Wageningen university (0.2) and in 2002 he became a 0.8 professor at the new department of Earth Observation Science at ITC, which he has headed for more than 10 years. In 2008 he became vice-rector research of the institute, a position that he had for four years. This was followed in 2012 by a position as portfolio holder education of the management team of the faculty. His research interests focus on statistical aspects of spatial and spatio-temporal data, like monitoring data, in the widest sense. Optimal sampling, image analysis, spatial statistics, use of prior information, but also issues of data quality, fuzzy techniques, random sets, all in a Bayesian setting. From 1998 onwards he has been working with more than 30 PhD students on a range of spatial (and temporal) statistical topics. Alfred Stein is a member of the CT de Wit Research School for Production Ecology and Resource Conservation and of the SENSE research School. Since 2011 he is the editor-in-chief of the Spatial Statistics journal, the new leading platform in the field of spatial statistics. It publishes articles at the highest scientific level concerning important and timely developments in the theory and applications of spatial and spatio-temporal statistics. He is associate editor of the International Journal of Applied Geoinformation and Earth Observation, Statistica Neerlandica and Environmental and Ecological Statistics. At present, 11 PhD students are working under his supervision. He is editor of several books and of various special issues of journals.

Research Interest

My main research fields concern spatial and spatio-temporal statistics, including issues of data quality and its revision in geographic information systems. A second focus is on radar remote sensing, in relation to PolInsar. Applications domains are statistical aspects of modeling for agriculture, natural vegetation, health, urban landuse, coastal systems, hazards and wildlife.