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Tim Baird
Associate Professor
Human/environment Interactions, Human Ecology of East Africa, Information and Communication Technologies, Sustainability, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Indoor Geography / Building Ecology.
John Boyer
Senior Instructor
World regions, viticulture, geography of wine, agricultural geography, educational technology.
Anamaria Bukvic
Assistant Professor
Climate change impacts, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction; population displacement, resettlement, and relocation; coastal hazards and disasters, transdisciplinary research.
David Carroll
Instructor
Meteorology, forecasting, severe weather.
Thomas W. Crawford (Tom)
Professor and Department Chair
Geographic Information Science & Systems, Coastal Geography, Human-Environment Interactions, Hazards, Geospatial Health Applications.
Andrew W. Ellis
Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Meteorology, hydroclimatology, drought, climate change, water resources.
Eranga Galappaththi
Assistant Professor
Climate change adaptation, resilience, & vulnerability, Social-ecological systems, Indigenous peoples & knowledge systems, Multi-level governance, Systematic literature reviews

 

Scarlett Jin
Post Doctoral Associate
Urban geography, GIS, spatial analysis, Sharing economy and shared mobility, Shrinking cities, Urban China   
Luke Juran
Associate Professor
Human Ecology of Water,  WASH & HWTS,  Hazards & Disasters,  Reconstruction,  South Asia.
Lisa M. Kennedy
Associate Professor
Long-term environmental change, biogeography, vegetation dynamics, fire history and ecology, human-environment interactions, tropical America, Caribbean, Appalachians/US southeast.
Junghwan Kim
Assistant Professor
Human mobility, Travel behavior, Environmental health, Geospatial data science and applications, Geospatial data privacy and ethics, Urban planning and policies.
Korine N. Kolivras
Professor
Health and medical geography, climate and health, environmental variability and disease emergence, public health applications of geospatial techniques.
Robert Oliver
Associate Professor
The Geography of the Modern City, Urban-Political Geography, Mega-Event Planning and Politics (Sport Development).
Thomas Pingel
Associate Professor
GIS, geovisualization, and geospatial programming.
Craig Ramseyer
Assistant Professor
Climate Modeling, Hydroclimatology, Tropical Climatology, Artificial neural network applications in the Atmospheric Sciences.
Lynn M. Resler
Professor
Biogeography, alpine treeline, mountain environments, field methods, digital image analysis.
Santosh Rijal
Collegiate Assistant Professor 
Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing, Spatial Analysis, Land condition disturbance, Ecosystem Services, Natural Resource Management.
Stewart Scales
Advanced Instructor
Cartography and Map Design, Appalachia, Virginia, Physical Geography, Pyrogeography & Fire Ecology.
Yang Shao
Associate Professor
Remote sensing, GIS, land use and land cover change, watershed assessment and modeling.
Kenneth L. Stiles
Instructor
Intelligence Operations, Counterterrorism , Geospatial applications used in the Intelligence Community.
Stephanie Zick
Assistant Professor
Tropical meteorology, tropical cyclones, precipitation, numerical weather prediction, model forecast verification.
James B. Campbell
Emeritus Professor
Remote sensing, soils and geomorphology, quantitative methods.
Laurence W. Carstensen Jr.
Professor
GIS, cartography, wireless telecommunications modeling, unmanned vehicle navigation, GIS uncertainty, spatial decision-support in GIS.
Maria Elisa Christie
Director, Women and Gender in International Development, Office of International Research, Education, and Development (OIRED)
Gender, Agriculture, and Development, Cultural and Political Ecology, Geography of Food, Cuisine, and Kitchenspace, Qualitative Research Methods, Participatory Mapping.
Randel L. Dymond
Professor
Environmental and Water Resources Engineering
Sustainable Land Development, Urban Stormwater Quality & Quantity, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Spatial Decision Support Systems, Watershed Management, Civil Infrastructure Systems, Land Use Change Impacts, and Visualization of Geospatial data.
Charles M. Good
Emeritus Professor
Medical, Africa, Third World Development, Immigration.
Lawrence S. Grossman
Emeritus Professor
Caribbean, development, political ecology, colonial environmental history.
Robert W. Morrill
Emeritus Professor
Geographic education, North America, political.
Joseph L. Scarpaci
Emeritus Professor
Latin American Studies, International Development, Place Promotion, Heritage, International & social marketing.
     
Karen Bland kbland@vt.edu Administrative assistant.
Katherine Pritchard kpritcha@vt.edu
Instructional technical assistant for John Boyer.
Julie Burger jcburger@vt.edu Student Services Coordinator and Undergraduate Adviser.

 

 

Kayleigh Addington
Kayleigh Addington -M.S.
kda99@vt.edu
Advisor: Stephanie Zick
Preevious: Virginia Tech
Interests: Tropical meteorology, coastal geography and hazards, risk management
Graduate Student
Mahjabin Kabir Adrita – M.S.
mahjabin@vt.edu
Advisor: Korine Kolivras
Previous: University of Dhaka
Interests: Health/Medical Geography, Urban Geography, Communicable Diseases, Geographic Information Science
Meghan Albritton
Meghan Albritton - M.S.
mjalbritton@vt.edu
Advisor: Korine Kolivras
Previous: Berry College
Interests: Environmental health, medical geography, water, climate change, disease
Brandy Ayesu-danso
Brandy Ayesu-danso - M.S. 
brandyad@vt.edu
Advisor: Eranga Galappaththi
Previous: University of Ghana (Ghana)
Interests: Climate change adaptation, resilience, vulnerability, coastal indigenous peoples, GIS, Remote Sensing.
Gunjan Barrua
Gunjan Barua - M.S. 
gunjanb@vt.edu
Advisor: Thomas Pingel
Previous: Khulna University of Engineering & Technology
Interests: Urban analytics, environmental management, data science
Cole Bristow
Cole Bristow - M.S.
colebristow@vt.edu
Advisor: Lisa Kennedy
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: Climate change, habitat studies, animal biogeography, conservation
Devon Burton
Devon Burton - M.S.
devonburton@vt.edu
Advisor: Lisa Kennedy
Previous: Radford University
Inerests: Landscape ecology, fire research, invasive species propogation, risk and resilience
Graduate Student
Ozzy Campos - Ph.D.
aocampos@vt.edu
Advisor: Yang Shao
Previous: US Air Force Academy
Interests: Remote sensing of conflict zones 
Indunil Dharmasiri
Indunil Dharmasiri - M.S.
indunil@vt.edu
Advisor: Eranga Galappaththi
Previous: University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka)
Interests: Climate change adaptation, vulnerability, entrepreneurship
Graduate Student
Julia Finkhauser – M.S.
jef1033@vt.edu
Advisor: Craig Ramseyer
Previous: Plymouth State University
Interests: Tropical Weather and Cyclones, Convective Weather Processes, Climate Change, Geographic Information Science, Computer Programming
Graduate Student
Addison Flack – M.S.
aflack9@vt.edu
Advisors: Thomas Pingel, Timothy Baird
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: Land change analysis, Geovisualization, Geographic Information Science, Climate Change Adaptation
Grad Student
Sophiya Gyanwali – M.S.
sophiya@vt.edu
Advisor: Bukvic
Previous: Kathmandu University
Interests: Disaster Risk Reduction, Water Resources, Geographic Information Science, Climate Change
Graduate Student
Ryley Harris - Ph.D.
rcharris@vt.edu
Advisor: Lisa Kennedy
Previous: Radford University and Virginia Tech
Interests: Landscape dynamics, plant ecology, remote sensing, sUAS
Gayanthi Ilangarathna
Gayanthi Ilangarathna – M.S.
gayanthi@vt.edu
Advisor: Eranga Galappaththi
Previous: University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Interests: food security, climate change, rural sociology, policy analysis
Shashank Karki
Shashank Karki - M.S.
shashankkarki@vt.edu
Advisor: Thomas Pingel
Previous: Kathmandu University (Nepal)
Interests: Geovisualization, GIS, geospatial programming
Graduate Student
Scott Klopfer - Ph.D.
sklopfer@vt.edu
Advisor: Lynn Resler
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: Landscape ecology, wildlife habitat, natural resources management
Alexander Miele
Alexander Miele - M.S.
amiele@vt.edu
Advisor: Yang Shao
Previous: University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Interests: Mountain hydrology, stream ecology, microclimates, freshwater conservation, giant salamanders
Mimasha
Sithuni Mimasha – M.S.
sithunimimasha@vt.edu
Advisor: Eranga Galappaththi
Previous: University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Interests: climate change impacts, GIS, Indigenous communities, sustainability
Joe Newman
Joe Newman – M.S.
jmano7@vt.edu
Advisor: Craig Ramseyer
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: spatial data analysis, geospatial programming, decision support application development, transportation safety
Geoffrey Otieno
Geoffrey Otieno - M.S.
geoffreyoo@vt,edu
Advisor: Timothy Baird
Previous: Kenyatta University (Kenya)
Interests: Water, sanitation, disease, human/environment interactions
Perera
Chrishma Perera – M.S.
chrishmadp@vt.edu
Advisor: Eranga Galappaththi
Previous: University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Interests: climate change adaptation, resilience, and vulnerability, sustainability, Indigenous peoples' knowledge systems
Graduate Student
Bright Samson – M.S.
bsamson@vt.edu
Advisor: Andrew Ellis
Previous: Obafemi Awolowo University
Interests: Climatology, Climate Change, Air Pollution
Graduate Student
Md Sariful Islam - Ph.D.
shariful@vt.edu
Advisor: Tom Crawford 
Previous: Kent State University
Interests: Coastal hazards, remote sensing, food security, machine learning
Ami Schulte
Ami Schulte - M.S.
schultan@vt.edu
Advisor: Lynn Resler
Previous: Miami University
Interests: Botany, geography, plant interactions
Graduate Student
Samrin Sumaiya Sauda - M.S. 
sssauda@vt.edu
Advisor: Stephanie Zick
Previous: University of Dhaka
Interests: Hydroclimatology, climate hazards, remote sensing, GIS
Troy Swift
Troy Swift - Ph. D.
swift66@vt.edu
Advisor: Lisa Kennedy
Previous: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen, Germany
Interests: Environmental history of central Appalachia, charcoal and pollen analyses
Graduate Student
Jack Tolar – M.S.
jtolar5@vt.edu
Advisor: Yang Shao
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Science, Change Detection in Urban Areas, Climate Change
Emily Wilcox
Emily Wilcox - M.S.
erwilcox@vt.edu
Advisor: Luke Juran
Previous: University of New Hampshire
Interests: Water, climate hazards, human/environment interactions
Year Student Degree Advisor(s) Title of Thesis or Dissertation
2022 Jarek Campbell M.S. Bukvic Spatial Implications of Flood Exposure and Relocation Attitudes Among Older Populations in Hampton Roads,Virginia
2022 Nazmul Huda M.S. Crawford Patterns and Associations of Shoreline Erosion and Developed Land Use Change in the Lower Meghna Estuary of Bangladesh
2022 Ryan Shayer M.S. Oliver Investigating the Future and Image of Leesburg, Virginia
2022
Margaret Crawford M.S. Bukvic The Social Cascades of Exposure to Flood Induced Natech Events on Vulnerable Populations in Hampton Roads, Virginia 
2022 Daniel Donahoe  M.S. Kennedy Leveraging the Landsat Archive to Track Understory Evergreen Shrub Expansions in the Coweeta Basin, North Carolina 
2022 Tyler Gingrich  M.S. Ramseyer Synoptic-Scale Atmospheric Conditions Associated with Flash Drought Initiation in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean
2022 Parker Henry  M.S. Ramseyer Using Self-Organizing Maps to Identify Changes in Winter Seasonal Temperature Trends in the Southeastern U.S.
2022 Colleen Lewis  M.S. Pingel     Least Cost Path Modeling Between Inka and Amazon Civilizations
2022 Tyler Stanfield  M.S. Ramseyer A Climatological Analysis of Upper-Level Velocity Potential Fields Using Global Weather Reanalysis, 1958-2020 
2022 Shakira Stackhouse M.S. Zick Evaluating the Skillfulness of the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS) Forecasts for Tropical Cyclone Precipitation Using an Object-Based Methodology
2022 Kyler Stanley  M.S. Resler Toward Understanding Geodiversity Perception in Grayson County, VA Through Geodiversity Mapping
2022 Mark Villareal M.S. Baird Distribution of Resource Use in an Informal Learning Environment: Using Sensor Technologies to Bring Geography Indoors
2021 Sam Carani M.S. Pingel Detection of Tornado Damage via Convolutional Neural Networks and Unmanned Aerial System Photogrammetry
2021 Peter Forister M.S. Resler Spatial Patterns and Variations of Tornado Damage as Related to Southeastern Appalachain Forests and Terrain from the Franklin County, Virginia EF-3 Tornado
2021 Jen Kern M.S. Juran and Resler Modelling Hydrologic System Change in a Paraglacial Catchment in the Northern Rocky Mountains
2021 Allison Mitchell M.S. Bukvic Impacts of Coastal Flooding on Watersheds in Hampton Roads, VA
2021 Balaji Ramesh M.S. Kolivras Estimating Health Risks Associated with Flooding following Hurricante Harvey using Earth Observations and the CDC Social Vulnerability Index
2021 Josh Starner M.S. Carstensen Relative Convenience of Battery Electric Vehicles vs. Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles for Non-Commuting Trips in the Contiguous United States
2021 Holly Young M.S. Kolivras Examining the Relationship Between Safe Drinking Water Violations and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Virginia
2021 Zachary Van Tol M.S. Ellis Analysis of Urban Heat Island Intensity Through Air Mass Persistence
2021 James Young M.S.  Pingel An Evaluation of DEM Generation Methods Using a Pixel-Based Landslide Detection Algorithm
2021 Jack Gonzales M.S.  Pingel Comparing UAV and Pole Photogrammetry for Monitoring Beach Erosion
2020 Heng Wan Ph.D. Shao Assessing Annual Urban Change and its Impacts on Evapotranspiration
2020 David Jensen Ph.D. Resler Detecting and Modeling Landfast Ice in the Alaskan Bering Sea
2020 Michael L. Marston Ph.D. Ellis Variation and Change in Daily Precipitation Extremes Across the United States Since the Mid-20th Century
2020 Lindsey Morrison M.S.  Zick Evaluating the Role of Atmospheric Stability in Generating Asymmetrical Precipitation During the Landfall of Hurricane Florence (2018)
2020 Hudson Chase M.S. Pingel Immersive Virtual Reality Point Cloud Classification Correction
2020 Gretchen Goeke Dee M.S. Resler Spatial Pattern Analysis of Tree Species Distribution in a Central Appalachian Upland Heath Barren
2020 Ryley Harris M.S. Kennedy Spatial Patterns on Virginia's Second Highest Peak: Land Cover Dynamics and Tree Mortality in Two Rare Ecosystems
2020 Alexander Rosenman M.S. Shao Multiscale Remote Sensing Analysis of Vegetation Patterns in an Alpine Environment, Glacier National Park, Montana
2020 Eric West M.S. Carstensen The Digitization of American Viticultural Area Boundaries: An Efficient Method for Constructing GIS Polygons from Federal Government Data Sources
2020 Aaron Whittemore M.S. Ellis Analysis of Human Influence on Drought Conditions in the Upper Colorado River Basin (Texas)
2020 Molly McKnight M.S. Kolivras Examining the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem: Associations Between Surface Mining and Birth Outcomes in Central Appalachia at Multiple Spatial Scales
2019 Yong Huang M.S. Campbell Virginia Urban Dynamics Study Using DMSP/OLS Nighttime Imagery
2019
Elizabeth Weaver Ph.D. Kolivras Investigating the Valley Fever – Environment Relationship in the Western U.S.
2019 Hoa Tri Tran Ph.D. Campbell Integration of Geospatial Technologies in Monitoring Drought Events in a Coastal Area of Vietnam (Case Study: Binh Thuan Province)
2019 Iris Flynn Ph.D. Campbell Geospatial Analysis of Forest Fragmentation & Connectivity in Virginia
2019 Damien Geffroy M.S.  Oliver A City of Projects: Grand Paris, The 2024 Summer Olympics, and the Jurisdictional Negotiation of Contemporary Paris
2019 Nathaniel Lawrence M.S. Resler and Saladyga Fire History of an Acidic Barrens Complex: A Methods Assessment of Fire Return Intervals
2019 Veronica Scott M.S. Juran and Ling Strontium in Drinking Water: Assessing Strontium as a Drinking Water Contaminant in Virginia Private Wells
2019 Megan Stevenson M.S. Kolivras The Effects of Land Cover Change on the Spatial Distribution of Lyme Disease in Northern Virginia since 2005
2019 Kelly Summers M.S. Baird Mobile Phones, Social Relations, and the Gatekeepers to Women's Empowerment in Maasai Households
2019 Yanshen Sun M.S. Carstensen Evaluating the Quality of Ground Surfaces Generated from Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) data
2019 Aaron Updike M.S.  Zick A Modeling Study of the Principal Rainband in Hurricane Matthew and the Influence of Remote Terrain on Hurricane Structure During its Intensification in the Southern Caribbean
2019 Helen White M.S.  Resler Biotic and Abiotic Factors of Picea rubens (Red Spruce) Seedling Regeneration in Disturbed Heathland Barrens of the Central Appalachians
2018 Sanam Aksha Ph.D. Juran and Resler Assessing Vulnerability and Multi-Hazard Risk in the Nepal Himalaya
2018 Allison LeBlanc Ph.D. Kennedy Lake Sediment-Based Reconstructions of Late-Holocene Lowland Environments on Dominican Republic and Barbuda, Northern Caribbean
2018 Shreejana Bhattaria M.S. Kolivras Understanding the Relationship between Land Use/Land Cover and Malaria in Nepal
2018 Timothy Greene M.S. Ellis The Impact of Synoptic Weather on the Ice Phenology of Maine Lakes, 1955-2005
2018 Jessica Kirkland M.S.  Zick Regional Differences in the Spatial Patterns of Precipitation Bands in Hurricanes Through Landfall along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coasts of the United States
2018 Callie Lambert M.S. Resler and Shao Spatio-Temporal Vegetation Change as Related to Terrain Factors at Two Glacier Forefronts, Glacier National Park, Montana
2018 Suzanna Lindeman M.S. Ellis Assessment of Model Forecast Temperature Bias During Cold-Air Damming in the Central Appalachian Mountains
2018 Erik Olson M.S.  Oliver Rescinding a Bid: Stockholm's Uncertain Relationship with the Olympic Games. 
2018 Breeanna Prince M.S. Juran Access to Water: Advancement of Multidimensional, Multiscalar, and Participatory Methods of Measurement in the Global South
2018 Kaitlyn Spangler M.S. Christie When He Comes Home, then He Can Decide: Male Out-Migration, the Feminization of Agriculture, and Integrated Pest Management in the Nepali Mid-Hills
2018 Logan Stevens M.S. Kolivras Future Lyme Disease Risk in the Southeastern United States Based on Projected Land Cover
2018 Ruoyu Zhang M.S.  Shao An Evaluation of a Data-Driven Approach to Regional Scale Surface Runoff Modelling
2017 David Fox  M.S. Baird Settlement Patterns and their Potential Implications for Livelihoods among Maasai Pastoralists in Northern Tanzania
2017 Taylor Meade M.S. Campbell Analyzing Spatial Locations of the Common Agricultural Policy’s Subsidy Areas in Romania with Landsat Imagery
2017 Julia Sherry M.S. Juran Perceptions of Water Services and Innovations to Improve Water Services in Tanzania
2017 Andy Skeen M.S. Shao Estimating Impervious Surface Cover in Flathead County, Montana
2017 Jessica Suggs M.S. Ellis Long-Term Changes in Synoptic-Scale Air Mass Persistence across the United States
2016 Tammy E. Parece Ph.D. Campbell Geospatial Analysis to Site Urban Agricultur
2016 Jie Ren Ph.D. Campbell Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing of Changing Agricultural Land Uses with the Midwestern Corn Belt, 2001-2015
2016 J.T. Bandzuh M.S. Juran and Kolivras Perceptions of Measures to Control Aedes Mosquitoes and Mosquito-Borne Diseases in Costa Rica
2016 Austin Cooner M.S.  Shao Detection of Urban Damage Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning Algorithms: Revisiting the 2010 Haiti Earthquake
2016 Mario Garza M.S.  Resler Biophysical and Climate Analysis of the Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) Infestations in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, 1962-2014
2016 Michael Marston M.S. Ellis Analysis of Extreme Reversals in Seasonal and Annual Precipitation Anomalies across the United States, 1895-2014
2016 Camille Martineau M.S.  Oliver  Still Last on the List: Examining Patterns of Economic Distress in Appalachia 
2016 Amanda Michaels M.S. Resler Land Use and Land Cover Change in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem
2016 Trevor White M.S. Carstensen Dual-Doppler Derived Vorticity as a Predictor of Hail Size in Severe Thunderstorms
2015 Ashley Athey M.S. Ellis Verification of Satellite-Derived Precipitation Estimates over Complex Terrain: A Ground Truth Analysis for Nepal
2015 Leyang Feng M.S.  Shao Sensitivity Analysis of Hot/Cold Pixel Selection in SEBAL Model for ET Estimation
2015 Lauren Freelander M.S. Kolivras and Hill Socio-Demographic and Environmental Influences on the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in North Carolina
2015 Leslie Harwood M.S. Carstensen Identifying Environments in which Vehicle-to-Vehicle Safety Application Alerts were Affected by the Surrounding Topography
2015 Bailey Kyle M.S.  Oliver  The Road to Rio: Infrastructure, Image, New Media, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup
2015 Ashley Lewis M.S. Baird Human-Wildlife Conflict and Mobile Phone Use among Maasai Pastoralists near Tarangire National Park, Northern Tanzania
2015 Rachael Lubitz M.S. Kennedy A Late Holocene Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Coastal Lake in Northeastern Dominican Republic
2015 Daniel Moore M.S. Carstensen Zone-Based Multiple Regression Models to Visualize GPS Locations in a Network Camera Image
2015 Brandon Wheeler M.S.  Shao Evaluating Time-Series Smoothing Algorithms for Multi-Temporal Land Cover Classification
2015 Suwen Zhao M.S.  Shao and Campbell Simulating Urban Growth for Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area by Coupling SLEUTH Model and Population Projection
2014 David Kramar  Ph.D. Carstensen Evaluation, Assessment, and Determination of Risk to High Trophic Level Piscivores in the Mid-Atlantic: A Spatial and Comparative Case Study of Mercury in Virginia and New England Bald Eagle Populations
2014 Ayanda Masilela M.S. Kolivras Discerning Neighborhood Characteristics as Contributing Factors to Infant Mortality in Rural Northern Plains Communities
2014 Paul Miller M.S. Ellis The Utility of Total Lightning in Diagnosing Single-Cell Thunderstorm Severity in the Central Appalachian Mountains Region
2014 Jayashree Surendrababu M.S. Kolivras Modeling the Impact of Projected Land Cover on Lyme Disease Emergence
2014 Haitao Wang M.S. Kennedy and Shao Monitoring Vegetation Dynamics in Zhongwei, an Arid City of Northwest China