Lilly Jones is a hydrogeologist and engineering-trained scientist who joined Earth Lab as a Post-Doctoral Associate working across the research team, with a focus on fire hazards modeling. She brings over 20 years of experience designing and delivering geospatial and environmental analytics systems, specializing in translating complex data into scalable, decision-ready solutions for wildfire risk, hydrologic systems, and infrastructure resilience. Her work leverages machine learning, cloud computing, and high-performance geospatial workflows to address real-world challenges.
She received her B.S. in Earth and Environmental Science from Oglala Lakota College (2013) and her Ph.D. in Geology and Geological Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (2021), along with a graduate certificate in Geospatial Technologies under the mentorship of Maribeth Price, author of Mastering ArcGIS. Her doctoral training provides her with a systems-oriented, quantitative approach to complex environmental problems. Her dissertation produced an aquifer vulnerability assessment for the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, blending hydrogeology, remote sensing, and geospatial analysis to address community-relevant challenges. Prior to joining Earth Lab, she designed curriculum and taught geoscience and hydrology courses as an instructor at Oglala Lakota College.
At Earth Lab, her work integrates research and education. Her research focuses on predictive modeling of fire risk and integrating geospatial data with environmental hazards modeling. On the education team, she supports teaching and training initiatives in Earth data science, including ESIIL Stars, RIO Workforce Development, various hackathons, and the Data Short Course. She is proficient in Python and is an instructor for Earth Lab’s Earth Data Science graduate certificate course. She also served as the technical lead for the Maka Sitomniya Working Group and collaborates closely with several Tribal partners to advance Indigenous-led science, data sovereignty, and decision-making.