Dr Ce Zhang is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Data Science at the School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol. His research expertise involves Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning, the application of these techniques in geospatial data science and remote sensing. 

Ce is extremely passionate about cross-disciplinary integration of AI and Data Science to better understand environmental and socio-ecological systems, driven by the ambition to tackle some of the greatest challenges in our society. His work bridges human and physical geography, fostering new connections across disciplines and developing data-driven, transparent, and policy-relevant approaches to address sustainability and net-zero challenges in a data-rich world.

Most recently, Ce has been developing foundation models, vision–language models, and GeoAI approaches tailored to large-scale geospatial and environmental data. His research explores how these models can integrate satellite imagery, spatial context, and heterogeneous data sources to enable scalable environmental monitoring, interpretable analysis, and robust decision support.

Ce has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact international journals, including the Nature Portfolio, and leading outlets across geography, environmental science, and artificial intelligence. His work has contributed to advancing methodological innovation while informing real-world applications in environmental and sustainable decision-making.

Ce is the Speciality Chief Editor of Frontiers in Remote Sensing, and sits on the editorial boards in Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy and Remote Sensing.

Meet our other Smart Data Research UK Fellows.