Hi there! I’m Hooman Latifi, an Associate Professor of Ecological Remote Sensing. With an academic background in Forest Inventory, Remote Sensing and Aerial Photogrammetry at diverse universities in Germany and Iran, I am currently affiliated with the Dept. of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing of the K. N. Toosi University of Technology, the oldest technical university in Iran. My main research line focuses on using satellite and aerial data to analyze forest structure, biodiversity, and health over time and space. I’m especially keen on using 3D aerial data to get a better understanding of tree and gap structures in forest habitats. I also have a strong interest in phenology-based approaches to monitor vegetation decline in temperate and semi-arid ecosystems. Additionally, I work on improving the retrieval of plant diversities of plant communities using optical time series from remote sensing data.

My Role as Commissioning Editor

After spending about four years as an Associate Editor for Methods in Ecology and Evolution (MEE), I’ve recently taken on a new role as a Commissioning Editor for MEE. This position lets me explore a fresh side of the editorial world by handling incoming Review papers and Perspectives, and reaching out to international peers to commission reviews on various topics in ecology and evolution, especially those underrepresented in the journal or the community.

I’m on the lookout for potential authors from all over the globe to suggest new topics, discuss ideas for reviews, and even nominate themselves to write high-quality reviews and perspectives for the journal. We’re eager to hear from all academics, practitioners, policymakers, and teams, particularly those from underrepresented areas (like the Global South) and early-career ecologists. While we welcome traditional reviews, I’m also keen to see meta-analyses.

If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to get in touch—I’m here to chat and support you. There are no strict limits on the topics for commissioned authors, but I especially encourage covering subjects like wetland dynamics, data benchmarking in ecology, fire ecology, big data analysis, and AI applications for ecological monitoring and conservation.

What we look for in an MEE Review

Just a heads-up: whether commissioned or unsolicited, reviews must meet MEE’s established standards. Here’s a quick rundown of what your review should include:

• Introduction and Background: State the scope and objectives of the review, define key concepts, and explain the topic’s importance.
• Comprehensive Literature Review: Describe the review methodology, including databases searched, keywords, time frame, and criteria for inclusion/exclusion.
• Background Coverage: Overview the chronological development of the topic and highlight pivotal publications and key advances.
• Current Knowledge: Summarize recent research findings and categorize key experimental and observational studies.
• Theories and Hypotheses: Review major theories and hypotheses, and the experimental, observational, and modeling methods presented in the literature.
• Advantages and Limitations: Discuss the pros and cons of the methods used, structure key findings, and highlight any discrepancies or controversies.
• Research Gaps: Identify gaps for further research and suggest future research directions.
• Implications: Discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings and their contributions to advancements in ecology and evolution, including conservation, management, and policy.
• Conclusion: Wrap up your review with conclusive remarks.

Examples of my Favorite Reviews

Last but not least, here a short list of examples on my favorite reviews:

Reviews published by MEE:

• Four principles for improved statistical ecology
• Harnessing natural history collections to detect trends in body-size change as a response to warming: A critique and review of best practices
• Not just for programmers: How GitHub can accelerate collaborative and reproducible research in ecology and evolution
• Opportunities and risks in the use of drones for studying animal behaviour

and beyond:

• Review of studies on tree species classification from remotely sensed data
• Forest practitioners’ requirements for remote sensing-based canopy height, wood-volume, tree species, and disturbance products
• Evenness mediates the global relationship between forest productivity and richness
• Perception and appreciation of plant biodiversity among experts and laypeople

That´s all for the moment! I am looking forward to see how your interest and expertise can be supported by my editorial service to yield quality review papers for MEE. Please note we all have one passion in common: connecting, exploring and disseminating our ecological and evolutionary knowledge, published by one of the best existing mediums in the field!

Looking forward to collaborating with you!

Best, 
Hooman