About me

I am an Assistant Teaching Professor of Data Science and Analytics at the University of Missouri's Institute for Data Science and Informatics, and an AI Faculty Fellow within the Graduate School. My work integrates geomatics, remote sensing, geospatial analytics, and artificial intelligence to address critical challenges in environmental transformation, natural hazards, sustainability, and water resource management. I develop computational frameworks that combine machine learning, data fusion, and simulation modeling to analyze environmental systems and support evidence-based decision-making.

I hold dual Ph.D. degrees in Geomatics Engineering and Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Calgary, where my research focused on computational modeling, geospatial analysis, and numerical methods for environmental applications. My doctoral work encompassed forest fire dynamics, drought and flood risk assessment, land surface temperature reconstruction, and hydrological modeling. My research has been supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Alberta Innovates, and has resulted in over 25 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals.

Before joining the University of Missouri, I served as a postdoctoral researcher and research associate in the Department of Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary, where I led interdisciplinary research projects applying data science, machine learning, and deep learning to environmental transformation and forest fire studies. I also gained valuable industry experience as a Data Scientist at Earth & Space Inc. and as a Data Science Developer at StellarAlgo Corp., where I developed predictive models, designed data pipelines, and implemented large-scale analytics using Python, SQL, and cloud computing platforms. My extensive teaching background includes positions at the University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, and Mount Royal University, where I designed and delivered courses in machine learning systems, life cycle assessment, digital engineering, statistics, and mathematical modeling.

At the University of Missouri, I develop and teach graduate courses in natural language processing and large language models, geospatial AI and image analysis, cloud computing for data analytics, geospatial data engineering, and time series analysis. I am actively engaged in curriculum development, having led a comprehensive review of the Data Science and Analytics program to identify gaps and align courses with evolving academic standards and industry practices. As an AI Faculty Fellow, I serve as a liaison for AI-related teaching and research initiatives, contribute to AI policy development, facilitate training sessions for graduate faculty, and co-organized a panel on ethical engagement with generative AI in graduate education. I also coordinate monthly research seminars that bring industry leaders and academic researchers to campus, fostering collaboration and enhancing program visibility.

My research continues to focus on geospatial data science and artificial intelligence applications in environmental systems. I actively mentor graduate students, guide thesis research, collaborate on interdisciplinary initiatives, and prepare funding applications. Beyond research and teaching, I serve on graduate admissions committees, act as an external examiner for master's theses, organize scientific sessions for international conferences, and guest edit special issues for academic journals.

I am deeply committed to inclusive education, professional mentorship, and academic service. I founded the SIAM Chapter at the University of Calgary to facilitate academic-industry interaction and have served in various leadership roles including graduate student representative on departmental committees and vice-president academic of the Graduate University Mathematics Society. I regularly review manuscripts for leading journals in remote sensing, environmental modeling, data science, and sustainability, and have organized conferences and seminar series to promote collaborative, interdisciplinary learning environments. Outside of academia, I enjoy hiking and spending time with family and friends, which continually inform my perspective as an educator, researcher, and mentor.