Komal Kumari Choudhary has embarked on an impressive journey from Rajasthan, through Hong Kong and Russia, before landing at Land-CRAFT – Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures at Aarhus University. Here, she is a postdoc with a special focus on agricultural remote sensing. In Rajasthan, in the western part of India, she studied geography at the University of Rajasthan. Later, her studies led her to The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where she obtained a Ph.D. in remote sensing of agricultural areas. The journey did not end there; Komal Kumari Choudhary's research has taken her across continents, collaborating with renowned institutions in France and Russia, before joining Aarhus University. 

Aarhus calling 

"Agriculture has always been of great interest to me, and it is within agricultural research that I want to excel," says Komal Kumari Choudhary. Therefore, it was only natural for her to choose Aarhus University and specifically Land-CRAFT as the next stop on her academic journey. 

"Aarhus University is internationally recognised, especially for its agricultural research. The university ranks among the top 100 in the world, so I am naturally very pleased to continue my research here under the expert guidance of professors such as Klaus Butterbach-Bahl and Tommy Dalgaard," says Komal Kumari Choudhary, currently working on biomass estimation and production in Denmark. 

Award-winning researcher 

Winning awards and gaining recognition for her research is not new to Komal Kumari Choudhary, she has several awards and acknowledgements in her professional suitcase. Recently, she was once again acknowledged for her research, as she received the "Best Researcher Award" from the International Research Awards on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. 

"It means a lot to me to receive such an award. I was nominated by my Ph.D. supervisor from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for the research I conducted there," she explains. 

The award recognises Komal Kumari Choudhary's work in phenological remote sensing, where she studied how satellite imagery could be used to predict the expected yield from rice fields in coastal areas. 

From biomass research to greenhouse gas emission studies 

The recognition following such an award has given Komal Kumari Choudhary even more impetus. Now she is undertaking a three-year postdoc at Land-CRAFT at Aarhus University, and as always, her gaze is fixed on the future. 

"Right now, I am concluding my work on using remote sensing for biomass estimation, but my plan is to delve into greenhouse gas research in the next few months. My hope is that my knowledge of remote sensing can contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices," she says.