Chris Holmquist-Johnson, PhD, PE
Chris Holmquist-Johnson is a Hydrologist and UAS Pilot with the USGS Fort Collins Science Center’s Ecosystem and Organismal Ecology (EcOE) branch. His research focuses on studying the response of riverine and riparian species and habitats to flow alteration, drought, and dam management in support of conservation and restoration of community structure and function—especially for at-risk species.
Chris' research includes integrated riverine ecosystem studies, aquatic habitat assessment, in-stream flow modeling and decision support system development. In 2010 he obtained his remote pilot certification for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) and is involved with numerous UAS operations within DOI and USGS related to terrestrial wildlife, hydrologic mapping, habitat mapping/analysis, river system processes, and emergency response utilizing natural color, multi-spectral, thermal, and LiDAR sensors. His work also includes collaborations with the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) in supporting the integration of UAS data collection into the scientific, monitoring, and resource management functions of the Department of the Interior (DOI). Strategic implementation of UAS within the USGS focuses on the evaluation and integration of new innovative sensors, development of data standards and processing techniques, recommendations of UAS data acquisition best-practices, and support for the training and proficiency of new and existing UAS operators within USGS.
