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Using computer science to address the climate crisis
I'm the Robert Sansom Professor of Computer Science at the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, and a Professorial Fellow at Fitzwilliam College. I'm also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, ACM, and IEEE.
What I believe
We're in a race against time. Climate change and biodiversity loss threaten civilization, yet we have unprecedented computational and observational capabilities. My work is driven by a simple conviction: computer science can—and must—be a force for planetary good.
I care about building systems that work, training students who will lead the next generation of climate-informed technologists, and creating open resources that democratize access to environmental intelligence.
Right now, I'm most excited about two projects:
TESSERA — A global, open, 10-meter resolution foundation model for Earth observation. We're making planetary-scale environmental monitoring accessible to anyone with a laptop. TESSERA processes satellite imagery to detect deforestation, monitor ecosystems, and track land use changes. It's being used by conservation organizations, researchers, and governments worldwide. Read the paper or listen to this NotebookLM-generated podcast explaining it.
Energy Informatics — I'm writing a textbook that synthesizes computer science, energy systems, and environmental monitoring into a coherent discipline. I'm using Quarto, VSCode, and modern collaborative tools to make it not just a book, but a living hub for the energy informatics community. More soon.
The journey
I started in computer networking in 1988, contributing to foundational work on protocols, congestion control, and network architecture. Around 2010, I had a realization: the most important problems facing humanity weren't about faster networks—they were about sustainability. Since then, I've worked on reducing carbon footprints in energy generation, transportation, and buildings. For the past five years, my focus has been on using satellite data and machine learning to understand and protect Earth's ecosystems.
It's been an unusual path, but the thread is consistent: using computational thinking to solve problems that matter.
More details on what I'm currently working on.
Recent highlights
- ACM SIGENERGY Lifetime Achievement Award — I'm honored to be the inaugural recipient. My award talk: "Hints on doing research"
- Tutorial on self-supervised learning at ACM eEnergy 2025. Slides here
- Public lecture: "Is there hope for the climate?"
Join us
For students: I lead the Energy and Environment Group at Cambridge. If you're passionate about using technology to address climate and environmental challenges, explore potential Part II/ACS projects or get in touch.
For collaborators: I'm always interested in partnerships with organizations working on environmental monitoring, renewable energy, or climate adaptation—especially those that can help scale TESSERA's impact.
Resources
My calendar | YouTube channel | Wikipedia | Google Scholar | ORCID | Energy and Environment Group | EEG YouTube channel
Pronunciation: Srinivasan Keshav (Keshav is my given name)
Email: sk818 at cam dot ac dot uk
I don't respond to email on weekends or between 5:30pm and 9:00am. During working hours, if your email requires less than 20 minutes of work, expect a rapid response.