{"id":25576,"date":"2026-08-31T10:40:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T14:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/?p=25576"},"modified":"2026-08-31T10:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T14:42:50","slug":"meet-our-newest-ph-d-students-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/news\/2026\/08\/31\/meet-our-newest-ph-d-students-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Our Newest Ph.D. Students (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0Faculty Fellows<\/a>\u00a0across 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\u2019 research interests and backgrounds are just as varied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet some of our newest Ph.D. students as they join our\u00a0other cohorts<\/a>\u00a0of students on their academic journeys.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prizma Chapagain<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ikjun Chang<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Research: <\/strong>Modeling plant disease spread
Advisor<\/strong>: Chris Jones<\/a>
Education: <\/strong>M.Res. Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (Imperial College London), B.S. Biological Sciences (Imperial College London)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sara Cornejo Zepeda<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Research: <\/strong>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<\/strong>: Chris Osburn<\/a>
Education: <\/strong>M.S. Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (NC State University), B.S. Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development (Zamorano University)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nate Dailey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Penpitcha (Fah) Kuram<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Daniel Lackey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mantasha Noyela<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Research: <\/strong>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<\/strong>: Zhen Qu<\/a>
Education: <\/strong>M.S. Computer Science (Portland State University), B.S. in Computer Science & Engineering (Daffodil International University)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Natasha von Seelen<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Research: <\/strong>Developing quantitative methods for understanding how wildlife responds to disturbance in its habitat
Advisor<\/strong>: Krishna Pacifici<\/a>
Education: <\/strong>B.S.E. Electrical and Computer Engineering (Duke University)<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0Faculty Fellows<\/a>\u00a0across 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\u2019 research interests and backgrounds are just as varied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet some of our newest Ph.D. students as they join our\u00a0other cohorts<\/a>\u00a0of students on their academic journeys.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prizma Chapagain<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ikjun Chang<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Research: <\/strong>Modeling plant disease spread
Advisor<\/strong>: Chris Jones<\/a>
Education: <\/strong>M.Res. Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (Imperial College London), B.S. Biological Sciences (Imperial College London)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sara Cornejo Zepeda<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Research: <\/strong>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<\/strong>: Chris Osburn<\/a>
Education: <\/strong>M.S. Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (NC State University), B.S. Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development (Zamorano University)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nate Dailey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Penpitcha (Fah) Kuram<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Daniel Lackey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mantasha Noyela<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Research: <\/strong>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<\/strong>: Zhen Qu<\/a>
Education: <\/strong>M.S. Computer Science (Portland State University), B.S. in Computer Science & Engineering (Daffodil International University)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Natasha von Seelen<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Research: <\/strong>Developing quantitative methods for understanding how wildlife responds to disturbance in its habitat
Advisor<\/strong>: Krishna Pacifici<\/a>
Education: <\/strong>B.S.E. Electrical and Computer Engineering (Duke University)<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Center for Geospatial Analytics welcomed its largest Ph.D. cohort yet – 14 new students! Find out more about their research interests and backgrounds and plan to follow their journey as the next generation of geospatial data scientists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":25581,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"displayCategoryID\":48}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[48,10],"tags":[60],"class_list":["post-25576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geospatial-analytics-phd","category-spotlight","tag-phd-cohorts"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":48,"name":"Geospatial Analytics Ph.D.","slug":"geospatial-analytics-phd","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":48,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":139,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25576"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25583,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25576\/revisions\/25583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}