Dakota Hester

Dakota Hester is a Ph.D. candidate in Biosystems Engineering at Mississippi State University. His primary research objectives involve leveraging cutting-edge deep learning methods to process and analyze high-resolution remote sensing imagery. By utilizing emerging technologies in computer vision to build advanced models, he aims to produce high-quality, informative data products while simultaneously decreasing extensive human intervention traditionally necessary to create such products.

Since 2023, he has worked for GCERLab as a Graduate Research Assistant, where he continues to research approaches to building machine learning models that enhance our understanding of natural resources. In 2024, he joined Bayer Crop Science as a Machine Learning Scientist as part of a cooperative education program, where he researched methods for estimating soil quality parameters from CubeSat data. Dakota was selected as a NASA Mississippi Space Grant Graduate Fellow in 2025, highlighting his commitment to research and service to the state of Mississippi and its residents.