A Day in the Life of Dr. Sarah Chen: Balancing Innovation and Conservation

5:30 AM: The alarm sounds in Dr. Sarah Chen’s modest Berkeley home. Before the sun fully rises over the San Francisco Bay, the CEO of Amber Grove Inc. begins her day with a ritual that connects her to the forests her company works to protect—a 20-minute meditation focused on the sounds of nature, played through an app developed by one of her environmental scientists.

“Starting my day by mentally connecting with forests centers me,” Chen explains as she prepares a quick breakfast of overnight oats and green tea. “It reminds me why we’re doing this work in the first place.”

By 6:15 AM, Chen is already reviewing overnight data alerts from Amber Grove’s GroveGuardian™ drone systems deployed across forests in three countries. A custom dashboard on her tablet highlights potential concerns, with one notification flagged red—indicating high priority.

“There’s unusual thermal pattern data coming from our Norway pilot site,” she notes, forwarding the alert to her international operations team with additional instructions for drone deployment to investigate further. This early-morning troubleshooting exemplifies the proactive approach that defines both Chen’s leadership style and her company’s mission.

7:30 AM: Chen arrives at Amber Grove’s Berkeley headquarters—a renovated warehouse space that balances technology and nature with living walls of forest plants and reclaimed wood furnishings. The company’s commitment to environmental principles extends to its physical space, with solar panels providing most of its energy needs and rainwater collection systems reducing water consumption.

Her first in-person meeting begins at 8:00 AM with her executive team—including co-founder and CTO Marcus Rivera and Chief Science Officer Dr. James Woodbury. Today’s agenda focuses on scaling challenges as the company works to meet growing demand for its forest management systems.

“We need to double production of our BarkBeacon sensors this quarter without compromising quality or environmental standards in our supply chain,” Chen directs, referencing the company’s IoT devices that complement their drone systems. The discussion quickly turns technical, with Chen demonstrating the depth of knowledge that comes from her dual background in environmental science and artificial intelligence.

10:15 AM: Chen transitions to a virtual meeting with forest service officials from a potential new government partner. With the confidence of someone who has spent years both in forests and in laboratories, she navigates complex questions about regulatory compliance for drone operations in protected areas.

“Our systems are designed specifically to minimize wildlife disturbance,” she explains, sharing detailed studies conducted by Amber Grove’s environmental impact team. “The flight patterns actually adjust automatically during nesting seasons for sensitive bird species.”

Noon: Lunch is a working affair, as Chen meets with recently hired environmental science graduates in the company’s rooftop garden. This informal mentoring session reflects her commitment to developing the next generation of conservation technologists.

2:00 PM: The afternoon brings Chen to the company’s prototype lab, where she reviews the latest iterations of sensor technology for the next generation of GroveGuardian™ drones. Dressed now in a lab coat over her business attire, she works hands-on with the engineering team, testing a new microscale particulate sensor designed to detect the earliest chemical signatures of forest fires.

What distinguishes Chen from many tech executives is her commitment to maintaining direct experience with the environments her technology serves. Quarterly, she schedules multi-day field immersions where she disconnects from digital communications to work alongside forest rangers using Amber Grove systems, gathering firsthand feedback and experiencing the technology from the user perspective.

5:30 PM: As many employees begin heading home, Chen leads an all-hands research review—a monthly tradition where teams share breakthrough moments and challenging obstacles. The forum exemplifies her collaborative leadership approach.

7:00 PM: Chen’s workday extends into dinner with Dr. Woodbury and two university researchers interested in partnering on a new grant proposal to study climate change impacts on forest ecosystems.

By 10:30 PM, Chen is setting her alarm for another early start. “Balance for me isn’t about separating completely from my work,” she reflects. “It’s about connecting with why the work matters in the first place.”