Steye is a physical geographer. After completing a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences, he obtained a Master's degree in Earth Surface and Water with a focus on natural hazards and earth observation. After graduation, he worked as a junior researcher on two projects. First, he conducted a preliminary study on the usability of NIR-drone imagery to quantify the primary production at the Wadden Sea. Second, he worked on a change detection method of Mangrove ecosystems in Suriname and Indonesia with the use of Google Earth Engine.

Currently he is a Lecturer within the department of Physical Geography, working for the bachelor and master programmes of Earth Sciences. He is involved in multiple courses related to e.g. earth observation, fieldwork and academic skills. A full list of courses involved can be found on the page Teaching