Research Team

Our research lab

Our research lab is made up of PhD, Master’s, and undergraduate students interested in working on issues related to water quality, environmental governance, land use, and the socio-environmental impacts of climate change. While we specialize in quantitative spatial analysis and modeling, we also recognize the pressing socio-environmental issues of our time cannot be fully addressed by a single methodology or even discipline. Accordingly, our work employs a range of methods to answer policy-relevant research questions.

Graduate student statements of interest(s)

Uzma Jabeen is a PhD student in the Geography program at UNL. She started her academic journey with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a master’s degree in Integrated Water Resources Management. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she worked as an intern at Focus Humanitarian Assistance, a non-governmental organization in Pakistan, where she became interested in community vulnerability and disaster management. She also had the opportunity to participate in an exchange program at the University of Utah during her master's degree. During this program, she did not only take courses but also gained experience in cross-cultural teamwork. This experience, along with her passion for disaster management, motivated her to pursue a doctoral degree in this field. Currently, she is doing her coursework and working on her research at UNL. Her research focuses on social vulnerability to flooding in Pakistan in general and in Gilgit Baltistan in particular. She intends to explore the vulnerability of communities to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) in rural mountainous areas of northern Pakistan.

Emmi Berski is a Geography master’s student at UNL. Her research investigates the connection between urban resilience, climate change, and green infrastructure. She is specifically interested in how cities in the Midwestern United States are attempting to adapt to climate change threats (e.g., flooding, extreme heat) using green infrastructure. She is also interested in the impact that public support for green infrastructure and concern about climate change have on shaping the policies and plans made by municipal governments and their outcomes. Her master’s thesis research surveyed municipal planners to assess motivations and barriers to green infrastructure usage, concerns about climate change, perceptions of public opinion, and green infrastructure implementation in cities across the Midwest. Through this research, she is investigating the relationship between planners’ perceptions of public climate change opinion and the strength of their motivations in developing green infrastructure regulations.

Jason Yoo is a PhD student in the School of Global Integrative Studies at UNL. He earned his master’s degree in Geographic Information Science and bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. His research revolves around GIScience and socio-environmental systems, strongly emphasizing understanding problems regarding water quality, water governance, and land use by exploring spatial and temporal data by harnessing GeoAI and machine learning algorithms. He is also passionate about geo-visualization. In particular, he creates web maps for environmental, human, and Health-related topics to let people easily access and understand the complex dataset. He is also interested in bicycle and pedestrian safety by utilizing location-based services, regional walkability, and crash data.

Chang Li is a Geography PhD student at UNL. He obtained his bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison in 2022 and master’s degree at University College London in 2023. He has continuously focused on studying geographic information systems, and his main research interest is in natural disasters and their influence on human socioeconomic status. Throughout his career, he has conducted several research projects ranging from land cover classification at the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) to wildfire risk analysis in England. His most recent research will be focused on pedestrian and cyclist safety based on human mobility data in Nebraska.

Iksoon Choi is a PhD student in Geography at UNL. His research explores the accessibility barriers to (primarily health-related) services in rural settings. His ongoing work includes spatial analyses of transportation-based barriers to drug addiction treatment facilities in rural Nebraska.

If you are interested in working with us

First, read our code of conduct here.

A large part of success in graduate school comes down to “fit” among students, advisors, and the program. To help gauge whether our lab might be the right fit for you, I encourage you to review my CV and to read a few of my publications found here. The more closely our interests align, I will be better able to advise, mentor, and guide you towards success in graduate school. If you think our interests fit well, great! Send an email and we can start a conversation.

Funding and applying to graduate school

Funding for graduate studies at UNL is competitive, with many of our students funded by teaching assistantships. Occasionally I will have openings for funded graduate research assistantships, which will be posted on this site and communicated via AAG and other appropriate listservs.

If you are interested in applying to the PhD or MA programs within the School of Global Integrative Studies at UNL, you can find the relevant details here. Applications are generally due in January, but please confirm with official sources. You are STRONGLY encouraged to reach out to potential advisors (e.g., me) via email prior to applying.

For undergraduate students

If you are a current undergraduate student interested in research, please contact me by email. We often have projects, many of which are funded, that can support your interests and growth. I am especially interested in any UCARE projects we can co-develop.