Data Scientist · Data Engineer · GISP · Conservation Biogeographer

I take messy data and build ETL pipelines, spatial and statistical models, and visualizations for decisions people can act on.

I build the pipelines, models, and visualizations that turn raw data into decisions, using R, Python, SQL, and platforms like AWS and Databricks — whatever the problem calls for. I have professional experience in conservation ecology, consulting, electrical utilities, and geospatial science, so my methods aren't picky about the subject.

Josh Carrell
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Start here

A field guide to what's across these tabs.

Portfolio

Major projects & tools

Data science, data engineering, and tooling work, built to show what I can do on the job.

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Experience

Resume

Roles, education, and skills — with a PDF download if you want to keep a copy.

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Research

Peer-reviewed & applied work

Conservation planning, climate impacts on tree habitat, and an award-winning map.

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Portfolio

Major data science, data engineering, and tooling work — the pieces that best show what I can do for an employer, distinct from side experiments in Field Notes.

Major Projects
Add project

Slot for a major project

Drop in a title, one-line description, and a repo or write-up link. Repeat for each flagship piece.

Waiting on details
Add project

Slot for a major project

Drop in a title, one-line description, and a repo or write-up link. Repeat for each flagship piece.

Waiting on details
Packages, Tools & Visualizations
R Package

slashR

Fixes Windows file path backslashes so copying paths into R stops breaking your scripts.

View repo →
Python / ArcGIS Pro

Niche Toolkit

Geoprocessing toolkit for ecological niche similarity analysis, built for ArcGIS Pro integration.

View repo →
R Package

ggrateful

16 ggplot2 color palettes (5 with continuous gradients) pulled from Grateful Dead album art — drop-in scale functions for any plot.

View package →
R Package

demonhunters

15 neon-glow ggplot2 palettes with custom glow geoms for points, lines, and boxplots — plus a matching ArcGIS Pro style file.

View package →
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Experience

Roles, education, and skills. Full detail in the PDF.

Download PDF ↓
03/2026 – Current

Data Scientist II

E Source · Data Science & Vegetation Modeling Group

Modeling vegetation risk on infrastructure, utility outages, and grid resilience — built on AWS and Databricks.

06/2025 – 03/2026

Geospatial Analyst & Statistical Ecologist

Headwaters · Platte River Recovery Implementation Program

Built a production ArcGIS Pro Python toolbox for species distribution modeling, cutting analytical turnaround by 75% across 20+ statistical models. Standardized version control and QA/QC across all spatial products.

06/2022 – 05/2025

Graduate Researcher

Colorado State University

Designed reproducible raster workflows (ArcGIS Pro, Python, R) for multi-year Bayesian regression; audited spatial algorithms across the group's modeling pipeline for bias and inefficiency.

08/2024 – 03/2025

Geospatial Product Engineer (Federal Contractor)

USGS · Fort Collins Science Center

Built and deployed a production remote sensing application in Google Earth Engine, fusing multi-sensor satellite imagery into a high-performance dashboard for federal decision-makers.

05/2024 – 08/2024

Geospatial Analyst (Contractor)

Analytical Mechanics Associates · NASA

Engineered a Random Forest ML pipeline in Earth Engine at 96% accuracy over terabyte-scale satellite imagery; built 5 data APIs and dashboards for federal and NGO stakeholders.

01/2020 – 05/2022

Graduate Research Assistant

Utah State University · USGS Utah Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit

Built and validated 150+ spatial suitability and predictive raster models (ML, GLM, Bayesian) across 30+ species to support conservation decisions for state and federal partners.

Education
Ph.D. Candidate, GeoscienceColorado State University · Expected 2026
M.S., EcologyUtah State University · 2022
B.S.Brigham Young University–Idaho · 2019
Certification

GISP

Geographic Information Systems Professional · GIS Certification Institute (GISCI)
Credential #162067 · 2025–2028

Beyond the day job

Teaching: Instructor at Utah State University & Colorado State University (graduate geospatial analysis: R, SDM, remote sensing), 2022–2024. Teaching Assistant at USU & BYU-Idaho (GIS & spatial analysis), 2017–2022.

Service: Geospatial Mentor, Geospatial Professional Network (formerly URISA), 2025–Present. Environmental Sustainability Leader, CSU School of Global Environmental Sustainability, 2023–2024. Climate Adaptation Science Trainee, NSF / USU Ecology Center, 2020–2022.

Expertise

Data Engineering & Infrastructure
Python (Pandas, GeoPandas, ArcPy, GDAL) R (terra, sf, tidyverse) SQL (PostgreSQL, PostGIS) ETL/ELT design AWS (S3, Lambda) Databricks Git · GitHub Actions
Data Science & Machine Learning
Bayesian inference GLM / GAM Spatial statistics Random Forest & gradient boosting Species distribution modeling Kriging / interpolation Remote sensing analysis
Tools & Visualization
ArcGIS Pro QGIS Google Earth Engine Power BI Plotly / Dash / RShiny Forest Vegetation Simulator

Selected publications live in the Research tab.

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Research

Papers, articles, and maps — mostly on species conservation, climate impacts, and extractive-industry tradeoffs.

Publication

Balancing Species Conservation & Extractive Industries

Species distribution modeling applied to conservation planning around extractive land use.

Read PDF →
Publication

Madrean Pine-Oak Forests & Climate

Modeling climate change impacts on tree habitat suitability across the Madrean Sky Islands.

Read PDF →
Article

Conservation Corner — Aquilegia Magazine

Rare plant conservation weighed against extractive industry pressures.

Read PDF →
Map — 1st Place, GIS Colorado 2024

Southern Rockies Forest Disturbance

Award-winning cartographic submission mapping forest disturbance across the Southern Rockies.

View map →
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Tutorials

Walkthroughs on modeling and spatial analysis, written for people learning R and GIS methods.

Tutorial

Mapping Burn Severity in R

An introduction to the Normalized Burn Ratio for mapping fire severity.

Read →
Tutorial

Kernel Density & Point-Pattern Analysis

An introduction to kernel density estimation in R for point-pattern data.

Read →
Tutorial

Species Distribution Modeling with GLMs

Modeling habitat suitability in R using generalized linear models.

Read →
Tutorial

Raster & Vector Analysis in R

Two-part introduction to raster and vector spatial analysis fundamentals.

Raster →  ·  Vector →
Modeling

GLMs vs. GAMs: Predictive Performance

Comparing generalized linear and additive models for soil drivers of plant distribution.

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Modeling

Camera Traps & Predation Risk

Examining how camera trap monitoring influences predation risk for nesting birds.

Read →
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Field Notes

Blog posts and misc pieces that don't fit neatly into Research or Portfolio.

ArcGIS Style

The Geospatial Dead

An ArcGIS .stylx file with 16 color palettes pulled from Grateful Dead album covers and logos.

View repo →
Visualization

Visualizing Mixed Effects Models

Sometimes a GIF is what you need to actually see hierarchical modeling at work.

View GIF →
Visualization

Visualizing Linear Model Residuals

Diagnosing residuals, animated — because static plots don't always tell the story.

View GIF →
Blog

Slot for a blog post

First post goes here once you've got one written.

Waiting on details
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Contact

Reach out directly, or send a message below.

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