Dr. Sankey teaches remote sensing and directs the Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics research lab at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Her research focuses on satellite and UAV remote sensing applications in environmental science and ecological studies in forests, woodlands, and rangelands. Dr. Sankey combines remote sensing measurements with in situ instrumentation in arid and semi-arid forests across Arizona. In particular, Dr. Sankey’s current research is evaluating NASA’s ECOSTRESS sensor as well as other thermal sensors and their sensitivities to changes in land surface temperature and evapotranspiration in mechanically thinned, non-thinned, and burned forests in Arizona. Her work also quantifies treatment impacts on forest ecohydrological dynamics and resilience to regional drought and climate stressors. Such evaluations provide important information for land managers regarding how forests can be thinned or burned to balance tree water use, forest health, and wildfire risks.