Dr. Cheyenne Lei brings a profound appreciation of diversity in all aspects of teaching, research, and educational outreach, grounded in her trio citizenship from Barbados, the United Kingdom and the United States. She graduated from Western Michigan University in 2016 with a Masters in Geography, Environmental & Resource Analysis, and completed her doctorate in Geography at Michigan State University in 2022.

Dr. Lei's research explores the major factors which influence surface reflectivity, in order to elucidate the mechanisms driving climate warming processes between coupled human-environment exchanges in unique ecosystems and landscapes. Her efforts span a wide range of applications, from purely ecological research, such as greenhouse gas exchange in natural ecosystems, to industrial applications, such as landscape conversion for food versus fuel needs, irrigation optimization, as well as agricultural carbon sequestration. Lei's work has not only been highlighted by the Department of Energy in 2021 for the broader scientific community and government policy, and also has been used as a major educational stepping stone for high schools within Wisconsin and Michigan, undergraduate student projects and internships offered through Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, and outreach to local farmers and land stakeholders interested in sustainable practices. More recently, Lei has lectured as a key-note speaker at the United States-China Carbon Consortium to teach aspects of environmental modelling of global warming and ecosystem analysis to over 300 students and scientists.

When not writing or performing field research, Dr. Cheyenne Lei is a certified United States Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor. She enjoys riding her motorcycle and increasing awareness for motorcycle safety.