Cullen Molitor
Data Scientist
Cullen works on how to use earth observation and other microdata to better understand and respond to climate change.
Cullen Molitor is a Data Scientist at CEGA’s Data Science for Development program, where he applies remote sensing and machine learning to understand how climate change affects human wellbeing and the environment. He is also affiliated with the Togo Data Lab, leading workshops and providing hands-on coding sessions to empower local researchers, policymakers, and data scientists to develop data-driven solutions in resource-constrained settings. Cullen is currently an affiliate of the Environmental Markets Lab (emLab) at UC Santa Barbara, where he develops large-scale geospatial data pipelines for mapping artisanal mining activity across sub-Saharan Africa.
He holds a Master of Environmental Data Science from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara, where he focused on bridging open-source analytics, satellite imagery, and machine learning to investigate agricultural output in Zambia. Outside of data science, Cullen contributed to the Kelp Forest Monitoring Program at Channel Islands National Park as a scientific diver, and his passion for ocean conservation continues to inspire his work.
While no longer with the Park Service, Cullen continues to explore the local kelp forest ecosystems of California’s Channel Islands in his free time.