Geographers are storytellers. They tell stories about nature and people. In her talk, Dr. Pinki Mondal will discuss why it is important, now more than ever, to focus on the ‘Geography’ of the ‘Geographic Information Systems’ in this storytelling, especially while utilizing satellite data collected through various space missions. Using her recent research, she will discuss how we can connect the dots between space and society for a more sustainable world.
Dr. Mondal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware and a Resident Faculty at the UD Data Science Institute. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at UD. She is an interdisciplinary scientist trained in environmental remote sensing and Geographic Information Science (GIS). She is interested in understanding the dynamics of coupled natural and human systems by developing geospatial methods for landscape-level monitoring and assessments. Her current research focuses on climate change impacts and adaptation in multifunctional landscapes. Mondal serves as an Editor for Earth Interactions, an American Meteorological Society journal, and as an Editorial Board Member for Environmental Research: Food Systems. She was named a 2023 AAG Elevate the Discipline scholar in Climate & Society.
Prior to joining UD, she was a Senior Research Associate at the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) – a center within the Earth Institute at Columbia University and an Adjunct Professor in the Spitzer School of Architecture at City University of New York – City College. She has worked as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the DeFries Lab at Columbia University, New York and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has a Ph.D. in Land Change Science from the University of Florida (Go Gators!!).