Departmental Unit № 1
Department of Geography
PhD in Geography
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (Teaching/Research Assistantship)
Funding Package: Full tuition waiver + 9-month living stipend (~$27,500–$31,000/yr + summer options) + comprehensive medical/dental benefits guaranteed via Graduate Assistantship.
Fall Priority Deadline: January 15 (Fall Admission)
GRE Policy: Not required / Waived
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 79 or IELTS 6.5 minimum
MA in Geography (Thesis Track)
Eligible for Full GTA/GRA Assistantship Funding
Funding Reality: Admitted MA students regularly receive 2-year Graduate Assistantships with full tuition waivers and stipends.
Application Deadline: January 15
Admissions Advisory: If full funding is required and MS is self-funded, students are strongly advised to apply directly to the PhD track.
Vetted Matched Scholars (2 Profiles)
Prof. Chuanrong Zhang
Professor of Geography and Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
She designs advanced artificial intelligence algorithms that scan satellite photos pixel-by-pixel to detect asphalt, concrete, and roof surfaces to see how urban pavement worsens city flooding.
Core Research Topics: Geographic information science, spatial AI / GeoAI, remote sensing image processing, land cover change, spatial statistics.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Applying deep convolutional neural networks and spatial vision transformers to high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery for automated impervious surface extraction and urban watershed imperviousness mapping (NSF IIS / USGS 2024–2026).
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: PyTorch, TensorFlow, Google Earth Engine, OpenCV, ArcGIS Pro, Python, spatial econometrics.
Recruiting Context: Prolific researcher in GeoAI, deep learning for satellite imagery, and spatial pattern algorithms.
Candidate Match:
GISGeoAIRemote SensingEnvironmental Modeling
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your interest in GeoAI, deep learning architectures for satellite land cover extraction, and urban spatial analysis in your group."
Prof. Guiling Wang
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
She uses supercomputers to run virtual planet simulations that model how heated soils and wet forests exchange moisture with clouds, forecasting whether severe floods or droughts will hit next.
Core Research Topics: Hydroclimatology, land-atmosphere interactions, hydrological extremes, flood and drought frequency modeling, regional climate projections.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Using high-resolution coupled land surface and climate models (WRF-Hydro) to simulate compound flooding risks and soil moisture memory dynamics under intensifying precipitation extremes (NSF Earth Sciences Award 2024–2026).
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: WRF-Hydro, Community Land Model (CLM), Python, Fortran, NCAR supercomputing, NetCDF spatial data arrays.
Recruiting Context: Leading figure in regional hydroclimate modeling and land-surface hydrological processes.
Candidate Match:
HydrologyFlood StudiesHydroclimatologyEnvironmental Modeling
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your interest in WRF-Hydro land-atmosphere modeling, compound flood risk projection, and hydroclimatology in the Wang Lab."