Geographer

I’ve always had a passion for maps, and as a Geographer I’ve found a way to make maps my career. Through great depth and breadth of experience in the professional and academic domains, I’ve developed a diverse spatial data science skill set including GIS and remote sensing, geostatistical modeling, spatial optimization, and field research. I’m driven to discover new ways of measuring, managing, analyzing and visualizing geospatial information, and to share and apply my geographic knowledge to enable the solution of complex spatial problems.

I am currently a Lecturer in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland. My research and teaching are focused on Geographic Information Science (GIScience) and spatial data science, with specialization in the areas of transportation, hazards and emergency management, and geospatial intelligence. The broad objectives of my research are to address both conceptual and empirical questions related to urban mobility. Two specific topics of interest are modeling human behavior during emergency evacuations and mitigating the psychological and physical barriers to using active transportation modes such as walking and bicycling in the built environment. Stakeholder engagement is a key component of my research, thus I have worked extensively with emergency managers, traffic engineers, urban planners, and local governments and neighborhood associations to help bridge the gap between theory and practice. I have taught numerous courses covering a broad range of topics in GIS and Remote Sensing, and have developed specialized courses in Geospatial Intelligence, Hazards and Emergency Management, Networks, and Systems Engineering.

Research


My recent publication using GIS and spatial optimization to design safer walking routes to school was featured on the University of Maryland website:
The video below describes some of my research on emergency evacuations:
This is a video showing an emergency evacuation simulation that I created as part of a research project for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans):

Teaching


Most of my current teaching duties are in our Masters in Geospatial Intelligence Program. Below is a video that I helped create to promote the program:
Another significant portion of my job duties is outreach and recruiting, and I've worked closely with the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) to get our program accredited:
Curriculum Vitae
Teaching Portfolio