Current Graduate Students
2024-'25
Maureen Agada
Maureen Agada
M.S. Candidate
maureena@vt.edu
Advisor: Lisa Kennedy
Previous: University of Maiduguri, Nigeria
Interests: long term environmental change, paleoecology, human-environment interactions, climate-fire links
Williams Akkyemfori
Williams Akyemfori
M.S. Candidate
awilliams23@vt.edu
Advisor: Robert Oliver
Previous: University of Ghana
Interests: Gentrification, land use and cover changes, waste management
Meghan Albritton
Meghan Albritton
Ph.D. Candidate
mjalbritton@vt.edu
Advisor: Korine Kolivras
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: health geography, global health, participatory mapping
Timothy Babchak
M.S. Candidate
tbabchak@vt.edu
Advisor: Tim Baird
Previous: University of Richmond
Interests: Geoscience, geovisualization, environmental remote sensing, GIS
Raj Bhattarai
Raj Bhattarai
M.S. Candidate
iamrajbhattarai@vt.edu
Advisor: Fangzheng Lyu
Previous: Kathmandu University
Interests: Rapid damage assessment, environmental and urban changes, GeoAI
Bristow
Cole Bristow
Ph.D. Candidate
colebristow@vt.edu
Advisor: Lynn Resler
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: Biogrography, GIS applications for environmental science
Ozzy Campos
Ph.D. Candidate
aocampos@vt.edu
Advisor: Yang Shao
Previous: US Air Force Academy
Interests: Remote sensing of conflict zones
Chakraborty
Paramita Chakraborty
M.S. Candidate
cparamita23@vt.edu
Advisor: Luke Juran
Previous: University of Calcutta (India)
Interests: Hazards, disasters, post-disaster reconstruction, water, sustainability,
Alexander Dyer
M.S. Candidate
alexdpdyer@vt.edu
Advisor: Lisa Kennedy
Previous: Ohio State
Interests: Biogeography, GIS, vegetation dynamics, climate change
Charles Fladhammer
Charles Fladhammer
M.S. Candidate
charlieflad@vt.edu
Advisors: Anamaria Bukvic
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: Coastal security, national security implications of climate change, GIS, remote sensing, water related conflicts
Hannah Garbutt
Hannah Garbutt
M.S. Candidate
hannaheg@vt.edu
Advisor: Eranga Galappaththi
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: climate change adaptation, vulnerability, resilience, Indigenous knowledge systems, sustainability
Suyog Gautam
M.S. Candidate
suyoggtm@vt.edu
Advisor: Santosh Rijal
Previous: Kathmandu University (Nepal)
Interests: Remote sensing, GIS
Ryley Harris
Ph.D. Candidate
rcharris@vt.edu
Advisor: Lisa Kennedy
Previous: Radford University and Virginia Tech
Interests: Landscape dynamics, plant ecology, remote sensing, sUAS
Ryan Holgerson
Ryan Holgerson
M.S. Candidate
ryanh19@vt.edu
Advisor: Craig Ramseyer
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: climate data analytics, climate change, synoptic meteorology, geographic information science
Gayanthi Ilangarathna
M.S. Candidate
gayanthi@vt.edu
Advisor: Eranga Galappaththi
Previous: University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Interests: food security, climate change, rural sociology, policy analysis
Shuqi Jin
M.S. Candidate
shuqij@vt.edu
Advisor: Yang Shao
Previous: Queen's University (Canada)
Interests: geospatial data analytics, urbanization mapping and modeling, coastal environment
Head shot
Muna Khatiwada
Ph.D. Candidate
munak@vt.edu
Advisor: Andrew Ellis
Previous: East Carolina University
Interests: Precipitation variability, climate change, geospatial analysis, hydroclimatology, naturla hazards
Pratirakshya Koirala
M.S. Candidate
pratirakshyak24@vt.edu
Advisor: Maria Elisa Christie
Previous: Tribhuvan University (Nepal)
Interests: Forest and landscape dynamics, climate change, geospatial analysis and modeling
Beatrice Kyermateng
Beatrice Kyeremateng
M.S. Candidate
beatyk@vt.edu
Advisor: Stephanie Zick
Previous: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana)
Interests: Tropical meteorology, climate extremes, tropical cyclones, python programming
Abdul Azeez Lawal
Abudul-Azeez Lawal
M.S. Candidate
lawalabdulazeez@vt.edu
Advisor: Junghwan Kim
Previous: Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria)
Interests: Environmental health, active transportation, human mobility, computer vision, deep learning
Emily Litrakis
M.S. Candidate
elitrakis@vt.edu
Advisor: Andrew Ellis
Previous: University of Tennessee
Interests: Climatology, climate change, natural hazards, emergency management, hydrometeorology
Joe Newman
M.S. Candidate
jmano7@vt.edu
Advisor: Craig Ramseyer
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: spatial data analysis, geospatial programming, decision support application development, transportation safety
Nicolai
Lydia Nicolai
M.S. Candidate
lydiarn@vt,edu
Advisor: Lynn Resler, Yang Shao
Previous: West Virginia University
Interests: Forest dynamics, GIS, geospatial data analysis, climate change
Michael Ojo
Michael Ojo
M.S. Candidate
ojomichael@vt.edu
Advisor: Korine Kolivras
Previous: Ekiti State University (Nigeria)
Interests: Medical geography, human geography, climate effects on societies
Chrishma Perera
M.S. Candidate
chrishmadp@vt.edu
Advisor: Eranga Galappaththi
Previous: University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Interests: climate change adaptation, resilience, and vulnerability, sustainability, Indigenous peoples' knowledge systems
Rahman
Fabiha Rahman
M.S. Candidate
fabiharhaman@vt.edu
Advisor: Junghwan Kim
Previous:Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
Interests:Transport geography, human mobility, GIS, spatial planning
Sandesh Sharma Dulal
M.S. Candidate
sandesh339@vt.edu
Advisor: Junghwan Kim
Kathmandu University (Nepal)
Interests: Urban Planning, generative AI, data science
Zach Sherman
Zachary Sherman
M.S. Candidate
zacfreerun10@vt.edu
Advisor: Junghwan Kim
Previous: Virginia Tech
Interests: digital twin GIS modeling
Rory Smith
Rory Smith
M.S. Candidate
gsrory70@vt.edu
Advisor: Junghwan Kim, Yang Shao
Previous: Auburn University
Interests: Cartography, GIS, geospatial intelligence, remote sensing, land use and cover changes
Caroline Sorensen
Caroline Sorenson
M.S. Candidate
carolines01@vt.edu
Advisor: Anamaria Bukvic
Previous: Augustana College
Interests: Climate change, flooding,coastal hazards and disasters
Jason Tatum
