Research: Gary is interested in the use of geospatial technologies such as satellite imagery to study human livelihoods and wellbeing.  He is particularly interested in developing methods for using satellite imagery to map and monitor aspects of human livelihoods and how this could be used to support the targeting of resources and finances to areas that are in specific need.

Current research projects as principal or co-investigator:  (1) Child poverty and access to services a Data For Children Collaborative Project(2) Population Density Estimations using Building Footprint Identification a Data For Children Collaborative Project (3) Using Census and Satellite Data to identify problems and solutions for social distancing in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe – An Urgent COVID-19 study (4) Co-developing a network and agenda for interdisciplinary research in the Okavango Delta.

PhD Opportunities: Places for September 2021 will be advertised online soon:

• SENSE CDT PhD "Impact of humanitarian mine clearances on tropical forest carbon storage" with CEOBS & The University of Leeds
• E4 DTP PhD "Estimating livestock diets in support of improved estimation of GHG emissions for the livestock sector – a case study in East Africa" with FAO and Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security. 

Teaching: Current teaching responsibilities include being the Deputy Director of the Earth Observation and Geoinformation Management (EOGM) MSc . Gary teaches the following postgraduate courses in ‘Applied research skills in environment and society’,  ‘Research practice and project planning’, ‘Case Studies in Sustainable Development’, ‘Principles and Practices of Remote Sensing’ and 'Key Methods in Physical Geography'.  From August 2020 Gary will become the Programme Director for the Environmental Sustainability MSc.

Programme Director for MSc in Environmental Sustainability 

Member of the School Ethics Committee, Geosciences

School contact person for the International Union of Forest Research Organisations

• Member of the Data for Children Collaborative with UNICEF
• Lupane State University and Bulawayo Municipal Government, Zimbabwe. 
• Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security
• Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Aarhus University, Denmark  - USES project
• International Institute of Applied Systems Science, Austria - Using Remote Sensing for monitoring and evaluating international development projects
• University of Florida/Columbia University, USA - USES project (analysing Millennium Villages Data

B.Sc. Lancaster University, Geography

M.Sc. Southampton University, Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis

Ph.D Southampton University, Exploring the spatial associations between socioeconomic variables and remotely sensed environmental metrics in Assam, Northeast India.

personal teaching and research webpage: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/gwatmoug/