Jin Xu is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Conservation Ecology Center. Her current project aims to model tree and bird biodiversity at the continental and global scales using statistical analysis methods and machine learning algorithms from passive and active remote sensing data.

Xu’s graduate research focused on scale effect and uncertainty analysis for shrub willow biophysical parameter estimation from satellite and unmanned aerial system (UAS) data. She developed new approaches for estimating shrub willow biophysical parameters across time, space, and scale and demonstrated that better use of remote sensing technology can increase the efficiency of shrub willow management practices.

Xu received her bachelor’s degree from Nanjing Forestry University. She also earned her master's degree from Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences. She recently completed her doctorate in geospatial information science and engineering from State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.