Sebastian Hafner is a Research Associate at the Urban Big Data Centre (UBDC), University of Glasgow, Scotland, working under the supervision of Prof. João Porto de Albuquerque. His research focuses on studying urbanisation through the use of data science, particularly machine learning and deep learning, applied to Earth observation data. At UBDC, Sebastian develops methods that integrate deep learning-based Earth observation with community mapping and engagement, aiming to improve how areas of deprivation are defined and understood.

Sebastian is set to complete his PhD in Geoinformatics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, in December 2024. His PhD research, supervised by Prof. Yifang Ban, uses deep learning for large-scale urban mapping and change detection. In particular, his thesis explores Earth observation data fusion and semi-supervised learning to improve model transferability across different geographic regions.

His background includes remote sensing, geographic information science, computer science, and geography. He holds a Master’s degree (2019) and a Bachelor’s degree (2017) from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. With this blend of skills, Sebastian is focused on tackling the challenge of bridging the gap between technology and urban applications.

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Research Associate