Dr. Vina's research is mainly focused on the use of data collected by optical sensors operating at both close (e.g., handheld spectroradiometers) and remote (e.g., sensors on aircraft and spacecraft) distances to analyze the spatio-temporal dynamics of vegetation. He received his PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004. His work has been widely published in journals such as Ambio, Biological Conservation, Ecological Indicators, Ecological Applications and Remote Sensing of Environment and has been widely featured in the news media.