In August 2026, the Center for Geospatial Analytics welcomed its eighth cohort of Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. students. This year’s cohort is our largest yet at 14 students! They are advised by Faculty Fellows across six departments in four different colleges here at N.C. State. Geospatial analytics is a branch of data science that spans myriad disciplines, and our students’ research interests and backgrounds are just as varied.

Meet some of our newest Ph.D. students as they join our other cohorts of students on their academic journeys.

Prizma Chapagain

Research: Integrating local knowledge with remote sensing/GIS to monitor changes in crop health and soil outcomes over time using Sentinel-2
Advisor: Bethany Cutts
Education: M.A. Environmental Studies (Western Washington University), B.S. Environmental Science (Kathmandu University)

Ikjun Chang

Research: Modeling plant disease spread
Advisor: Chris Jones
Education: M.Res. Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (Imperial College London), B.S. Biological Sciences (Imperial College London)

Sara Cornejo Zepeda

Research: Natural and anthropogenic influences on water quality and biogeochemical processes, including the role of infrastructure, hydrology, and land use in nutrient sources and transport
Advisor: Chris Osburn
Education: M.S. Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (NC State University), B.S. Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development (Zamorano University)

Nate Dailey

Research: Using remote sensing to quantify how hydroclimate whiplash affects wildfire activity in the southeastern US
Advisor: Josh Gray
Education: M.S. Data Science and Analytics (Chico State University), B.A. Computer Science (Pomona College)

Penpitcha (Fah) Kuram

Research: Evaluating model predictions of diurnal surface PM2.5 variability during wildfire events using ground observations
Advisor: Zhen Qu
Education: M.S. Geospatial Information Science (University of Maryland), B.S. Geography (Arizona State University)

Daniel Lackey

Research: The relationship between humans and green spaces, understanding community and ecosystem resilience supported through local parks
Advisor: Aaron Hipp
Education: Masters in Conservation and Restoration Science (University of California, Irvine), B.S. Natural Resources and Sustainability (Oregon State University)

Mantasha Noyela

Research: Integrating atmospheric chemistry modeling, satellite observations and deep learning to estimate high-temporal-resolution NOx emissions and better understand spatiotemporal patterns in air pollution
Advisor: Zhen Qu
Education: M.S. Computer Science (Portland State University), B.S. in Computer Science & Engineering (Daffodil International University)

Natasha von Seelen

Research: Developing quantitative methods for understanding how wildlife responds to disturbance in its habitat
Advisor: Krishna Pacifici
Education: B.S.E. Electrical and Computer Engineering (Duke University)