Juan Carlos Laso Bayas

Senior Research Scholar

Novel Data Ecosystems for Sustainability Research Group

Advancing Systems Analysis Program

Biography

Juan Carlos Laso Bayas joined IIASA in September 2015 as a research scholar. He currently works with the Novel Data Ecosystems for Sustainability (NODES) Research Group of the IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis (ASA) Program. His scientific interests include the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial statistics, more specifically mixed models, to analyze remote sensing and citizen science data, aiming to contribute to agricultural production, food security, disaster management, and community resilience. He has led several projects funded by the European Union, the European Space Agency, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, and others.

He obtained his BSc in Agricultural Sciences at Zamorano University, Honduras, specializing in Socioeconomic Development and Environment. He continued his studies in Germany where he obtained his MSc in Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics as well as his PhD in Agricultural Sciences at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. For his dissertation, he studied the mega-tsunami event of December 2004 and combined remote sensing, GIS, and generalized linear mixed models to relate land use, distance to the sea, and topography to tsunami casualties and damage in West-Aceh, Indonesia, and the Seychelles.

His previous work experience includes: Advanced tropical agriculture and forestry field work at Zamorano; field technician at a joint USAID-Zamorano rehabilitation project after hurricane Mitch (1998) in south Honduras; student counselor at Zamorano; research assistant for the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; technical assistant for the Illinois Crop Improvement Association, Champaign, USA; and researcher in cooperation with the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF-SEA), at Bogor, Indonesia.

Before joining IIASA, he worked as a statistical consultant for the Biostatistics Institute, at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart.

Last update: 23 MAR 2023

Publications

McCallum, I. , Kyba, C.C.M., Laso Bayas, J.C. , Moltchanova, E., Cooper, M., Crespo Cuaresma, J., Pachauri, S. , See, L. , Danylo, O., Moorthy, I. , Lesiv, M. , Baugh, K., Elvidge, C.D., Hofer, M. , & Fritz, S. (2022). Estimating global economic well-being with unlit settlements. Nature Communications 13 e2459. 10.1038/s41467-022-30099-9.

Laso Bayas, J.C. , Hofer, M. , McCallum, I. , Bodner, G., Lamare, M., Danylo, O., Maus, V. , Luger, D., See, L. , & Fritz, S. (2022). Remote sensing detection of climate-smart practices: Enhancing farm resilience in Austria. In: EGU General Assembly 2022, 23-27 May 2022, Vienna.

Fritz, S. , Laso Bayas, J.C. , See, L. , Shchepashchenko, D. , Hofhansl, F. , Jung, M. , Dürauer, M., Georgieva, I. , Danylo, O., Lesiv, M. , & McCallum, I. (2022). A Continental Assessment of the Drivers of Tropical Deforestation with a Focus on Protected Areas. Frontiers in Conservation Science 3 e830248. 10.3389/fcosc.2022.830248.

Laso Bayas, J.C. , See, L. , Georgieva, I. , Shchepashchenko, D. , Danylo, O., Dürauer, M., Bartl, H., Hofhansl, F. , Zadorozhniuk, R., Burianchuk, M., Sirbu, F., Magori, B., Blyshchyk, K., Blyshchyk, V., Rabia, A.H., Pawe, C.K., Su, Y.-F., Ahmed, M., Panging, K., Melnyk, O., Vasylyshyn, O., Vasylyshyn, R., Bilous, A., Bilous, S., Das, K., Prestele, R., Pérez-Hoyos, A., Bungnamei, K., Lashchenko, A., Lakyda, Maryna., Lakyda, I., Serediuk, O., Domashovets, G., Yurchuk, Y., Koper, M., & Fritz, S. (2022). Drivers of tropical forest loss between 2008 and 2019. Scientific Data 9 (1) e146. 10.1038/s41597-022-01227-3.

Cooper, M., Müller, B., Cafiero, C., Laso Bayas, J.C. , Crespo Cuaresma, J., & Kharas, H. (2021). Monitoring and projecting global hunger: Are we on track? Global Food Security 30 e100568. 10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100568.