After coming to Bren with “a very specific career goal” to work in data visualization and cartography, Nicole Pepper (MEDS 2025) now makes complex information accessible at SkyTruth, a conservation technology non-profit.
Quick Facts About Nicole
- Job Title and Organization: Data Visualization & Design Specialist at SkyTruth
- Sector: Non-profit
- Field: Remote sensing and environmental monitoring
- Years at the Organization: < 1
- Years in the Field: > 6
- Connect with Nicole: LinkedIn Profile
Describe your job in 5 sentences or fewer.
SkyTruth is a conservation technology non-profit that harnesses satellite technology and AI to expose environmental threats and accelerate climate action and biodiversity protection. It’s a watchdog whose data and tools help people uncover bad environmental behavior, from chronic oil pollution to illegal mining and other harmful land use change on a global scale. As the Data Visualization and Design Specialist, I bridge our technical and communications teams to unlock the full impact of our data and products for the conservation community. I analyze datasets and create maps and visualizations that make complex information accessible, and I support UI/UX design for our online mapping tools. Above all, I get to help tell stories with data that move people, spanning regulators, journalists, and advocates, to act and protect our planet.
Your MEDS Capstone Project had a connection to SkyTruth. Can you share more about that?
I had a tangential connection to SkyTruth through my Bren capstone project with Global Fishing Watch (GFW), an organization that was founded in partnership with SkyTruth. Throughout the interview process, I stayed in close contact with my capstone advisor at Bren, who ended up serving as a reference for me. Familiarity working with global datasets from GFW was definitely a perk during the application process, since SkyTruth continues to have a close partnership with the organization and uses their data in several of its products.
How has your Bren School experience or training helped you in your career/job?
I had what felt like a slightly unique experience going into the MEDS program. I came in with a very specific career goal: I wanted to specialize in data visualization and cartography, and I tailored my time in the program around that. From class projects to my capstone, I consistently found ways to shape my work around my career interests, which gave me a strong portfolio to point to when applying for jobs, something that's especially important for data visualization roles. I personally really enjoyed the MEDS data visualization course and relevant workshops hosted by Samantha Shanny-Csik. The program also strengthened my coding proficiency, my experience working with large and complex datasets, and my understanding of how to use data and tell stories with it responsibly. As I mentioned earlier, my capstone project turned out to be directly relevant to my work at SkyTruth. Having a concrete example of a data processing pipeline I helped build using GFW data, along with a dashboard I designed to visualize it, was useful in interviews, since both are central to my current role.
What job search tips can you recommend to help someone find a job in a highly competitive job market (what has worked well for you or other people you know)?
Applying for jobs can feel overwhelming. It helped me to have really clear guardrails for what a job posting needed to include before I'd consider spending the time to apply: a salary minimum, the right location, responsibilities that aligned with my goals, and a company culture I felt good about. The application process is genuinely time-intensive, so being selective up front saved me from spreading myself too thin. I also didn't want to rush into a role that wasn't right for me. I had just invested a lot of time, money, and brainpower into grad school, and I didn't want to compromise on the things that mattered. To make that possible, I took on a part-time job as a barista so I could make ends meet while I searched for the right position. I had a very specific vision for the job I wanted, and over the five months it took to land one, only about three postings came up that genuinely fit. Holding out for those felt risky, but it was worth it in the long run.
Do you have any advice or encouragement you’d give other alumni or current students about networking?
Don't be afraid to take a step that may look sideways or even backwards if it helps move you closer to the work you actually want to do. The biggest thing I'd encourage other students and alumni to do is to surround yourself with people you want to learn from. Don't be afraid to follow your curiosities, and remember that there is room for you, even in fields that feel very niche.
What environmental challenge do you think you have the most chance of positively impacting in your field, why, and how? Please feel free to include any trends/directions you see your field/sector going.
I’m proud to support the work SkyTruth does to monitor the impacts of extractive industries like oil, gas, and mining. These activities have historically taken place in remote areas, such as at sea or in rural mountains, where damage can be hard to see, and holding anyone accountable even harder. Satellites create a unique opportunity to bring these incidents to light at the global scale. I think the broader trend in this space is encouraging. Satellite data is improving, and AI is making it easier to detect patterns at a scale. What I think I can contribute to is making this information visible and usable, turning it into something a regulator, journalist, or advocate could act on. This translation is where I see my biggest opportunity to make a difference!
What is your favorite book, magazine, podcast, or film that has impacted your career?
I wouldn’t call it my favorite, but the most recent film I’ve seen that felt relevant to my career was Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. It’s a bizarre movie about a man from the future who travels back in time to convince a group of people to help prevent AI from taking over humankind. It mostly explores the implications of the “use now, ask later” mentality shaping AI adoption. I see a lot of obvious ways that AI is useful in my own work, but I definitely feel some caution about the unknown negative impacts that we will have to navigate as the technology evolves.
Do you have a pet? If so, what type of pet (name and breed)?
I have two American Shorthair cats who are sisters, Diesel and Tiller, that my partner, Sam, and I adopted when I graduated from Bren. Despite their silly names, they do not indeed run on fossil fuels!
What is your favorite quote?
“A modern cartographer is a data analyst, a statistician, a designer, a programmer, a storyteller, and an artist rolled into one.” – Greg Fiske, Woodwell Climate Research Center